D-backs option pitcher Shelby Miller to Triple-A Reno

The Arizona Diamondbacks finally came to a decision with regards to struggling pitcher Shelby Miller, as they have elected to send him to Triple-A Reno.

“My goal is to go down there, figure some things out, get back here as quick as possible,” Miller said Thursday. “There’s some things I need to figure out. I think going down there might not be the answer; I mean, we don’t know what that is. I mean, if I go down there and figure some things out, build some strength in my pitches … see where it goes from there.”

Acquired in an offseason deal that saw the D-backs part with outfielder Ender Inciarte, pitcher Aaron Blair and prospect Dansby Swanson, Miller has posted a 2-9 record with a 7.14 ERA in 14 starts.

Miller landed on the 15-day disabled list from May 27 to June 20 with a sprained right index finger, an injury he suffered after scraping his hand on the pitcher’s mound in consecutive starts.

Shelby Miller says he is surprised his stayed up with D-backs this long.

— Kevin Zimmerman (@KZimmermanAZ) July 14, 2016

While not a source of controversy this season, Miller has certainly been the face of a season that has gone awry. The D-backs entered 2016 with high expectations after they followed a surprising 2015 with one of MLB’s most active offseasons, but entered the All-Star Break with a 38-52 record and are 19 games back of first-place San Francisco.

“I haven’t been helping in the way I can,” Miller said. “I’m gifted to play baseball for a living, which is amazing, and like I said, I’ll go down there and do the best I can at that level. Whatever it takes to get back up here.”

According to D-backs manager Chip Hale, left-handed pitcher Edwin Escobar will be called up from Reno to replace Miller on the roster.

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