ANAHEIM, Calif.—Oakland Athletics All-Star closer Mason Miller broke the pinky finger on his non-pitching hand when he pounded a table in frustration after he was reminded that he had to do postgame weightlifting following Monday night’s contest against the Houston Astros.
The 25-year-old right-hander, the hardest-throwing pitcher in the major leagues and the subject of significant trade speculation, was placed on the 15-day injured list retroactive to Tuesday.
MLB.com had reported that Miller was injured while putting his hand down awkwardly on the training table while getting ready to do an exercise, based on what it said was information from his representative. MLB.com clarified its report after Manager Mark Kotsay said that account was incorrect.
“Mason’s agent might have thought differently, and made a statement of his own. How we do things in this organization is to tell the truth,” Kotsay said before Thursday’s game against the Los Angeles Angels. “Mason came in the training room and was going through his recovery. He was reminded that he had a postgame lift to get in. Out of a little frustration, he just kind of pounded his fist down on a padded training table out of emotion.
“We’ve all been there, done that. Unfortunately, it resulted in a fracture in his non-pitching hand, in his left hand, where his pinky area is.”
Miller’s non-throwing hand is in a cast. He can throw while in a cast, and will do a bullpen session in the coming days.
Miller has made 34 appearances this season and is 1–1 with 15 saves and a 2.21 earned-run average. He leads major-league relievers with 70 strikeouts in 40 2/3 innings. His 100.9 mph average velocity on his four-seam fastball tops those with 500 or more pitches.
Miller has a big league-best 306 pitches this season that have gone at least 100 mph. He had a 103.6 mph fastball to Philadelphia’s Trea Turner during the fifth inning of last week’s All-Star Game, the fastest pitch in the game’s history since pitch tracking began in 2008. He struck out Turner and Shohei Ohtani, and was the winning pitcher in the American League’s 5–3 victory.
Kotsay said he plans to go with a closer-by-committee approach during Miller’s absence. Lucas Erceg has two saves, while Tyler Ferguson and Austin Adams have been closers in the minor leagues.
Veteran right-hander Ross Stripling was activated off the injured list to take Miller’s roster spot. Stripling was the starting pitcher Thursday night after having missed two months with a strained right elbow.
