Chicago Cubs left-handed pitcher Wade Miley hasn’t pitched on a Major League mound in almost three months after being sidelined with a left shoulder strain.
That changes tomorrow night.
For the first time since June 10th, the 35-year-old will take the ball for Chicago Tuesday night in the series opener against his former team, the Cincinnati Reds.
Miley prepares to make what will be just his third start at Wrigley Field since joining the team in the offseason, finally answering doubters and returning to the mound after various rehab assignments, bullpen sessions, and recovery work.
Now pitching in his eleventh big league season (and with his eighth team), the Louisiana native has one month to offer Chicago a glimpse at the pitcher they believed they were signing when they claimed him off his waivers last November from the Cincinnati Reds.
While his release came as a surprise to many, his previous seasons of quality results were a strong indicator for the type pitcher Chicago would be signing.
2021 saw Miley deliver a 12-7 record across 163.0 innings for Cincinnati. His career-low 3.37 ERA (min. 150 IP) was good for the 15th-best amongst National League-qualified pitchers.
While collecting 125 strikeouts and a third career-best 2.50 K/BB rate, his crowning achievement of the season came on May 7th as he delivered a no-hitter against Cleveland.
Finding success when healthy and refining his pitch mix across the last few seasons has allowed Miley's remain effective on the mound even as he ages.
He introduced a cutter to his arsenal in 2017 and increased his usage of the pitch from 14.3% to 46.6% in 2021. Now he he utilizes that offering as his put-away pitch almost 20% of the time.
Ditching his sinker and curveball almost entirely, the left-hander primarily uses a changeup and slider as his off-speed pitches, with his changeup usage rising 11% across the last three seasons.
Making up over a quarter of his usage in 2021, his changeup carried a 33.8% whiff percentage with a -7 run value, making it the 15th most-valued pitch of its kind in all of baseball.
Now, after delivering five reassuring rehab assignments since July 29th with High-A South Bend and Triple-A Iowa, Miley is primed to make a return to the Wrigley mound.
And most importantly, end the season on a healthy note.
While it’s still to be determined how he fares in the remaining weeks of the season, a good enough performance could find the impending free agent re-signed by Chicago and a rotational staple heading into next year.
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