Former Atlanta Braves starter and current Milwaukee Brewers reliever Shelby Miller has had an interesting career that was revitalized over the last few seasons with a move to the bullpen. The velocity is still high enough to help a contending team for a short appearance, but the bounce-back story has taken a sad turn with the righty expected to need to undergo a second Tommy John surgery, according to MLB Trade Rumors.
It's the second time he's undergoing to procedure, having already done so in 2017.
Former Braves Starter Shelby Miller Facing Frustrating Injury Setback, Halting Recent Resurgence
Miller transitioned into a reliever role after sitting out the 2020 season due to pandemic concerns. He's since excelled in that role, establishing himself with five different clubs since the start of the 2022 campaign. Now, he's forced to deal with a premature end to one of his most promising seasons in a long time.
It is easy to forget how awful the Atlanta lineup was a decade ago when Miller and other starters had very little hope of getting any level of consistent run support. After leaving the Braves, there was one solid season with the Arizona Diamondbacks before his numbers imploded. This left the Round Rock, TX native in a questionable position, forcing him to pivot to the bullpen.
Even though he had only spent one season in Atlanta, Braves fans were excited to see Miller's resurgence and wished him nothing but the best.
Very few pitchers endure as awful a production as Miller and find a way to the other side. Seeing the story end with another Tommy John surgery is incredibly disheartening. It not only rules out the Brewers reliever for the rest of 2025 but likely means 2026 is going to be out as well. This leaves an aging pitcher attempting a comeback as he nears 40 in the 2027 season, which seems like a long shot at best.
There is a very real possibility that Braves fans and the baseball world have seen the last of the former Atlanta starter on a Major League mound. It's a potentially disheartening ending for a 13-year vet who put together an underrated season on a rebuilding Atlanta roster over a decade ago.
With Miller now set to miss the Brewers' postseason run, Braves fans will have to find other reasons to tune into baseball down the stretch.