Key SF Giants left-handed reliever nearing return after beginning rehab assignment

Erik Miller is nearing a return from an elbow sprain. The SF Giants left-handed reliever began a rehab assignment with the Sacramento River Cats on Friday night.

Key SF Giants left-handed reliever nearing return after beginning rehab assignment

The River Cats won that game by a score of 6-4 against the Sugar Land Space Cowboys. Luis Matos led the way with two hits, including a solo home run, in five at-bats. Miller recorded one out while allowing two runs (one earned) to score on three hits. He was on a pitch count and reached that before the end of the inning.

With rehab assignments, the results are not necessarily important. The important part is staying healthy and building back up for game action. When Miller was placed on the injured list, the Giants were hopeful that the elbow sprain had been caught in time and that he would not miss an extended period.

The southpaw reliever looked healthy on Friday, as his fastball sat in the mid-90's and reached as high as 97.5 MPH. He also threw seven changeups and five sliders.

When Miller returns, the dynamic of the bullpen will look a lot different. Tyler Rogers and Camilo Doval have both been traded. Manager Bob Melvin has been searching for a new bullpen hierarchy, with Randy Rodríguez tabbed as the team's closer.

The Giants have the hard part of the bullpen figured out. Some teams do not have a true closer, but
Rodríguez has the stuff to become a good one. The next step will be figuring out how to get the ball to the 2025 NL All-Star with the lead.

Miller will be part of that solution. The Giants leaned heavily on him to be their top option against left-handed hitters. He did well in that role, limiting hitters to a .578 OPS in those matchups.

Overall, the 27-year-old pitcher has posted a 1.50 ERA with 22 strikeouts and 20 walks in 30 innings. The ERA looks great, but the underlying numbers, such as a 3.94 FIP, are not nearly as strong.

Miller will have some help from the left side. For the first couple of months this year, he was the primary and only left-handed reliever out of the bullpen. Within the past six weeks, a pair of southpaws in Joey Lucchesi and Matt Gage have joined Miller. Both Lucchesi and Gage have done a nice job so far and could be pitching their way into the 2026 bullpen.

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