Brewers’ Miller to 60-day IL, may need TJ surgery
MILWAUKEE — Shelby Miller says he’s facing the possibility of a second Tommy John surgery as the Milwaukee Brewers placed the veteran right-hander on the 60-day injured list with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow.
Miller spoke to reporters Wednesday and said he planned to speak with Dr. Keith Meister regarding his MRI results and to get feedback on the next steps. Miller acknowledged surgery seemed like a realistic option and spoke pragmatically about his baseball future.
“I’m definitely probably going to miss next year,” Miller said. “Be ready for 2027, see how my arm feels, see where I’m at in my life and go from there.”
Miller, who turns 35 next month, previously underwent Tommy John surgery in 2017.
Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy said after Monday’s 10-8 loss to Philadelphia that Miller “felt something pop in his elbow” while pitching in the eighth inning. Miller was immediately removed from the game.
“It just comes with the territory,” Miller said. “Baseball has a lot of wear and tear on the body. You play it a long time, as long as I have, there’s going to be injuries and setbacks and stuff like that. It’s tough.”
The NL Central-leading Brewers brought up right-hander Joel Payamps from Triple-A Nashville in a corresponding move.
Miller joins All-Star closer Trevor Megill (right flexor strain), left-hander DL Hall (right oblique) and right-hander Grant Anderson (right ankle) as Brewers relievers on the injured list.
“I just hurt for him,” Murphy said. “Here’s a veteran who comes to a new team, earning the total respect of everybody, immediately got put in leverage, immediately did well most every time. With the number of injuries in our bullpen, it crushes us. But I’m more crushed for the guy.”
Milwaukee owns the best record in the major leagues and entered Wednesday leading the division by five games over the Chicago Cubs.
Miller wanted to play a major role in the Brewers’ playoff push as they seek their first World Series title in franchise history. He instead will ponder his long-term plans.
He was asked Wednesday if retirement’s a possibility. Miller said he’s confident he still has the ability to get hitters out and could get an opportunity after surgery, but he also acknowledged the difficulty of a comeback.
“A second TJ’s never easy,” MIller said. “It’s just going to be depending on how I feel, where I’m at in my life when that day comes. We’ll see.”
Miller is 0-1 with a 5.59 ERA in 11 appearances with the Brewers after he was acquired in a trade with Arizona at the deadline. He was 0-3 with a 1.98 ERA in 37 games with the Diamondbacks.
Payamps, 31, played a key role in Milwaukee’s bullpen from 2023-24. He is 0-1 with an 8.35 ERA in 23 appearances with the Brewers this season.
-
Ryan S. Clark
Chicago Blackhawks captain Nick Foligno will miss four weeks after injuring his hand Saturday in his team’s 3-2 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs, coach Jeff Blashill said.
Foligno, 38, suffered the injury with 90 seconds left in the second period when he was skating near the top of the Blackhawks’ defensive zone and Jake McCabe‘s shot on net deflected off Foligno’s hand.
Foligno immediately hunched over and favored his hand while skating back to the Blackhawks’ bench. Foligno, who did not return for the third period, finished with three shots on goal and logged 10:41 in ice time.
The absence of Foligno, who has six points in 15 games, means the Blackhawks will be without their fourth-line center who was anchoring a combination featuring Sam Lafferty and Landon Slaggert. His injury is also the second to impact the Blackhawks’ forward group with winger Jason Dickinson currently on injured reserve.
After finishing last season with the second-fewest points in the NHL, the Blackhawks (9-5-4) have emerged into one of the biggest surprises through the first quarter of the regular season. With their win against the Maple Leafs, they enter Sunday third in the Central Division and a point ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights and Seattle Kraken in the Western Conference wild-card race.
New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes had successful surgery on his finger Saturday, the team announced. The expected recovery time is eight weeks, though he will be reevaluated in six weeks.
According to sources, Hughes injured his hand in a “freak accident” that involved getting cut by glass at a team dinner Thursday.
Hughes’ procedure was performed by Dr. Robert Hotchkiss at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City.
The 24-year-old was off to a terrific start for New Jersey, which is 12-4-1 and atop the Metropolitan Division entering Friday. The American-born star has 10 goals and 20 points in his first 17 games.
The injury will create an interesting predicament for Team USA ahead of the 2026 Olympics in Milan. Hughes’ brother, Quinn, has already been named to the team while the Devils star was expected to be a front-runner for the roster. Federations must submit rosters by Dec. 31. The Devils’ projected return-to-play timeline is around the second week of January. The Olympic men’s hockey tournament begins Feb. 11.
Olympic rosters feature 25 players, which is two more spots than teams had at Four Nations.
-
Ryan S. Clark
Center David Kampf signed a one-year contract with the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday, just a day after the Toronto Maple Leafs terminated his previous deal.
Kampf, whose deal with the Canucks will carry a $1.1 million cap hit, was entering the third year of his four-year contract with the Maple Leafs that was worth $2.4 million annually.
The Leafs waived Kampf before the season, and he began the year with their AHL affiliate. Kampf played four games in the AHL before taking a voluntary leave of absence, which wasn’t sanctioned by the Leafs, to evaluate his options.
Kampf, who scored 5 goals and 13 points in 59 games last season, gives the Canucks a two-way center who has logged more than 110 short-handed minutes in seven straight seasons.
The Canucks have faced defensive challenges under first-year coach Adam Foote, who already has had to navigate injuries to Filip Chytil, Thatcher Demko, Derek Forbort, Filip Hronek and Quinn Hughes, among others.
Entering Saturday, the Canucks were allowing 3.53 goals per game, which is the fifth most in the NHL, while their penalty kill is the worst in the league at 66.1%. The Los Angeles Kings set the NHL record for the worst penalty kill in league history with a 68.2% success rate in the 1979-80 campaign.
Kampf also provides a veteran presence at center for the Canucks, who entered the season with questions at the position. Those concerns have intensified with Teddy Blueger and Chytil on injured reserve.
Entering Saturday, the Canucks (8-9-2) had the second-fewest points in the Pacific Division but were two points behind the Chicago Blackhawks and Winnipeg Jets for Western Conference wild-card spots.
-
Sports2 years agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports3 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Sports3 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment1 year agoHere are the best electric bikes you can buy at every price level in October 2024