Blue Jays' Spencer Miles: Workload being monitored
Rotowire
Miles is viewed as purely a short-term option for the rotation by the Blue Jays, and manager John Schneider said after Thursday's game that the organization has "off ramps" in mind to return the right-hander to the bullpen, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.
Toronto appears to have found a gem in the Rule 5 pick, as Miles has a 2.17 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 29:8 K:BB over his first 29 MLB innings. That's already more than double his prior career innings total as a professional, however, as the 25-year-old has struggled to stay healthy since being a fourth-round pick of the Giants in 2022. Miles is plugging a hole in the rotation for now, but the organization doesn't want to over-extend him, and the projected June returns of Max Scherzer (forearm/thumb/ankle) and Shane Bieber (elbow) would provide those "off ramps" to get the rookie back to a sheltered long relief role.
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Blue Jays' Spencer Miles: Shines as primary pitcher
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Miles didn't factor into the decision Thursday against the Yankees, allowing no runs on two hits and one walk in 4.1 innings of relief. He struck out six.
Working bulk relief for the Blue Jays on Thursday, Miles dazzled over 4.1 frames against a formidable Yankees lineup. The rookie right-hander fanned a season-high six during his longest outing of the campaign, flooding the zone for 47 strikes. Miles also saw his largest pitch count of the season (63 pitches), so he's getting closer to handling a traditional starter's workload. He could have some streaming appeal in his next scheduled appearance versus Miami, as Miles sports a 2.17 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 29:8 K:BB over 29 innings.
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Blue Jays' Spencer Miles: Another bulk-relief outing on tap
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Miles is expected to pitch in bulk relief behind opener Braydon Fisher in Thursday's game against the Yankees, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.
Though he's not yet been used as a traditional starter, Miles appears to have temporarily settled in as the fifth member of the Toronto rotation. While serving as an opening pitcher May 10 against the Angels and as a bulk reliever this past Saturday in Detroit, Miles covered 6.2 scoreless frames while striking out seven batters and allowing six baserunners. The rookie right-hander tossed a season-high 56 pitches his last time out, so the Blue Jays could have him build on that workload during Thursday's appearance.
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Blue Jays' Spencer Miles: Strong showing in bulk relief
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Miles didn't factor into the decision in Saturday's 2-1 extra-inning win over the Tigers, allowing two hits and two walks over 3.2 scoreless innings of relief. He struck out five.
Entering the game as the bulk reliever following opener Mason Fluharty, Miles fired an efficient 56 pitches (36 strikes) in his longest outing in the majors so far. The rookie Rule 5 pick also set a career high in strikeouts, as the Blue Jays continue to stretch him out to fill a hole in their rotation. Miles will take a 2.55 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 23:7 K:BB through 24.2 innings into his next outing, which lines up to be a tough test on the road next week in Yankee Stadium.
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Blue Jays' Spencer Miles: Collects win in MLB debut
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Miles (1-0) picked up the win Saturday against the A's, walking one and striking out one in a scoreless 11th inning.
The Rule 5 pick was thrown right into a high-leverage situation in his big-league debut, and Miles rose to the challenge by stranding the phantom runner before the Blue Jays walked it off in the bottom of the frame. Miles was sitting 97-98 mph with both his two-seam and four-seam fastballs while mixing in a slider that produced his first career strikeout against Max Muncy, and while the 25-year-old right-hander had never pitched above Single-A prior to Saturday, his arsenal could quickly make him an asset in the Toronto bullpen if his control and command hold up.
