Fans were pissed off when the Chicago Cubs announced on Tuesday that veteran right-handed pitcher Shelby Miller would not get an opportunity to pitch for the MLB club in 2026. The bullpen woes have been well documented down the stretch, and Miller was seen as a potential option to come in and become somewhat of a savior. However, Miller had Tommy John surgery less than 12 months ago, so the veteran pitching again in 2026 was already unexpected.
Miller has pitched in 13 games in his rehab assignment in the minor leagues, as he made his return to game action on Aug. 9 with the Iowa Cubs at Triple-A. Miller made a valiant effort, and the Cubs had him pitch on back-to-back days, a strong sign that they were considering him for a major-league role. Unfortunately, Miller couldn’t recover normally, as it took four days after his back-to-back bullpen appearances for him to feel good again.
The Cubs signed Miller to a two-year, $2.5 million contract this past offseason. The deal also includes a club option for 2028. This was almost always going to end with Miller not pitching for the Cubs until 2027, and that remains the plan, as Miller successfully recovered from his second Tommy John surgery and has carved a path to becoming a contributor in next year’s bullpen.
It sucks because you really wanted to believe that Miller could come up and suddenly become a great story for the 2026 bullpen, but reality quickly set in after Tuesday’s update. The chances that Miller was actually going to come back to the majors this year were slim.
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Wow, this is pretty cool. Veteran pitcher Shelby Miller had Tommy John surgery last October, and although the Chicago Cubs signed him to a two-year contract in the offseason, the expectation was for Miller to continue his rehab in 2026 before making his comeback in 2027. Well, Miller has shattered those expectations because not only has he been pitching down in Arizona, but on Sunday the right-hander made a rehab appearance at Triple-A with the Iowa Cubs.
Miller threw 14 pitches, 11 for strikes, in his one inning of work, which was his first official game action since Sept. 1, 2025.
Cubs manager Craig Counsell spoke glowingly about Miller, who has become a potential option to be called up in September if he continues his recovery without setbacks. Now, to be clear, Counsell made it a point to say that Miller’s rehab stint in the minors will be longer than usual, as the team is taking it very slow for the returning pitcher.
It was his second major elbow surgery in his career, so the Cubs don’t want to rush it and suddenly lose Miller again for next season.
In 2025, Miller posted a 2.47 ERA with a 29.0 K% in 46 innings. There’s no guarantee he can get back to that level in his first year back from elbow surgery, but it’s still incredible that Miller is already pitching competitively and may ultimately earn a shot to become a late-season weapon in the Cubs bullpen.
