The Arizona Diamondbacks made a major gamble when they traded away a package of top prospects including Aaron Blair and Dansby Swanson along with outfielder Ender Inciarte to the Atlanta Braves for Shelby Miller this offseason, Seen as a major overpay by the Diamondbacks around baseball, the team hoped MIller would repeat his success from the 2015 season.
But as the Diamondbacks prepare for June, things have gone about as poorly as possible. In his first 10 starts with the Diamondbacks, Miller has allowed a horrendous 36 earned runs, 56 hits, 10 home runs and 29 walks over 45 2/3 innings pitched.
After 10 starts of poor results, some apparently attributed to a blister that happened on Miller's throwing hand thanks to his throwing delivery, the Diamondbacks are set to place Miller on the 15-day disabled list. Whether the injury is still a problem or Arizona is using it as a way to get him rest and work at a lower level, Miller will be out for the next two-plus weeks.
While Miller heads to the disabled list, Arizona is left wondering what could have been if they kept Swanson, the No.1 overall pick in the 2015 MLB Draft. After Swanson crushed High-A, the Braves promoted him to Double-A where he owns a .383 on-base percentage and .848 OPS over 25 games.
Now Arizona has to just hope Miller can figure things out and return to the dominance he showed in 2015 when he had a 3.02 ERA. Until then, it's expected that Archie Bradley will slide into Miller's spot in the rotation and start Sunday against the San Diego Padres.
Bradley, formerly regarded as a top-15 prospect in all of baseball, started 2016 in Triple-A Reno. He has made two spot starts this year, giving up nine runs in 14 1/3 innings, though one start came in Coors Field.
He has earned the promotion, especially recently with his performances in May. Over three starts, Bradley has allowed just four runs in 22 innings and struck out 24 batters with a .177 opponents' batting average allowed. Unlike the two previous call-ups this year, Bradley should be given a few turns through the rotation to try and establish himself and potentially hold on to the job for awhile.