The Los Angeles Dodgers dropped their Cactus League opener to the Chicago Cubs on Thursday, but the most important thing from the game is the health of Bobby Miller.
After taking over in the third inning, Miller was hit in the head by a 106 mph comebacker off the bat of Michael Busch. He immediately went to the ground in pain and was quickly checked on by Dodgers head trainer Thomas Albert.
“It squared him up pretty good,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “It was kind of the front-side of the head, and you could see the distance that it traveled once it hit. There was some deflection, but it hit him pretty flush.”
Fortunately, Miller was conscious and able to answer the questions asked before he walked off the field under his own power.
“It’s always very terrifying and frightening,” Max Muncy said. “Thankfully, he seemed like he was OK. When the trainer came out and asked him if he knew where he was at, he made a little joke about hanging a curveball. Right then, you kind of knew he was fine.
“Obviously you have to take it slow with that type of thing. He might be fine now, but you’ve got to see how he is the next couple of days. I think he’s doing OK.”
Roberts said Miller did not express pain while he was on the mound after being hit.
No X-rays were performed on Miller, but he is in concussion protocol and there is no timeline for when he’ll be able to resume baseball activities, according to Roberts.
“Certainly it was a very scary moment,” Roberts said. “From what I’ve gathered, he’s going to be under concussion protocol. We’ll keep an eye on him tonight. I don’t know what that means as far as going forward. Certainly, it’s somewhat of a setback.
“We’ve got to make sure he feels OK going forward. I don’t know how long this protocol lasts, but again, very scary moment. But it was good to see him walk off the field, kind of know where he was at and all that.”
At the minimum, Miller will be out for the next few days before they reevaluate things and see if Miller is able to resume throwing again.
“Not concerned about that in the next 24 to 48 hours,” Roberts said. “I think he’s going to kind of regroup, lay low, and sort of get his wits about him and make sure he’s OK. After that, lord willing that he’s fine, then I think we’ll have the conversation. He’s going to want to get back out there.
Bobby Miller faces just two hitters before injury
Prior to being hit by the comebacker, Miller faced just two hitters in his 2025 Spring Training debut, walking the first and allowing the single that struck his head. Both runners ended up scoring after Justin Jarvis replaced the right-hander and allowed three hits and two walks.
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