Brewers' major trade deadline acquisition set to begin rehab assignment

Last week, the Milwaukee Brewers stayed relatively quiet at the MLB Trade Deadline. Despite completing three deadline deals, none of the moves were considered "splashy" trades that reshaped the roster for the stretch run. Rather, the Brewers chose to improve around the margins of their roster, adding a backup catcher, a depth outfield piece, and a set-up man. However, of three deals, one stuck out as the trade that would have the biggest impact on the team down the stretch: the Brewers’ acquisition of Arizona Diamondbacks shut-down reliever Shelby Miller.

That said, adding Miller to the roster came with one caveat: he is still recovering from a right forearm strain and won't join the team for several weeks. The Brewers knew about Miller's injury when they acquired him; he was placed on the injured list way back on July 7, but chose to acquire the D-backs’ 2025 saves leader nonetheless, knowing that he would be healthy for the Crew's playoff push.

Miller's timeline for return was initially somewhat unclear — reports came out that he was expected to return sometime in August, but when exactly that would be was not specified. However, after the Brewers announced on Tuesday morning that Miller is headed to Triple-A Nashville to begin a rehab assignment, fans now have a clearer idea of when the team's major trade deadline acquisition will return.

Shelby Miller to begin rehab assignment with the Triple-A Nashville Sounds

Starting his rehab assignment today means that Miller has a maximum of 30 days before he must be added to the Brewers (or begin a new rehab assignment for a different injury). However, it's much more likely that Miller returns within the next few weeks rather than later in the month. He was already throwing batting practice sessions when the Brewers acquired him last week, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy, so he will likely only require a few appearances in Triple-A before he is added to the Brewers' bullpen.

When he does return, he should bring a huge boost to the Brewers' overworked bullpen. Not only will he provide more days off for Milwaukee's high leverage set-up men like Jared Koenig, Abner Uribe, and Nick Mears, but he also brings with him an intriguing arsenal of pitches that was highly successful down in Arizona. It's mostly four-seam fastballs and splitters for Miller, who converted from a starting pitcher to a reliever back in 2021. The four-seamer has averaged 95.2 mph this season, but with nearly 18 inches of induced vertical break and the 7.1 feet of extension that Miller generates, his fastball appears much faster than 95 to opposing hitters. The splitter, Miller's main secondary offering, generates plenty of awkward swings out of the zone and opponents are hitting just .128 against it this year. Miller will sprinkle in a slider every once in a while to show hitters something moving in the opposite direction, but it's a relatively average pitch and used more to keep opponents off balance.

All of it has led to one of the best seasons of Miller's career. Prior to the injury, he had allowed earned runs in just two of his last 16 appearances, and his season ERA of 1.98 ranks second only to Aaron Ashby among Brewers' relievers with at least 20 appearances. Additionally, Miller has experience closing games, should Trevor Megill need a night off every once in a while. He collected 10 saves for the D-backs this season.

Miller will be an exciting addition to the Brewers bullpen when he returns, and today he takes a big step in his recovery process by beginning a rehab assignment with the team's Triple-A squad.