Photo: Carmen Mandato / Getty Images Sport / Getty Images
LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Dodgers reliever Bobby Miller was hit in the head by a line drive in Thursday's 12-4 loss in their spring training opener against the Chicago Cubs at their Camelback Ranch training facility in Glendale, Arizona and is in the concussion protocol.
Michael Busch hit a 2-1 curveball from Miller back at him at 105.5 mph in the third inning. The force of the hit knocked Miller's cap off. He went to the ground on both knees. After being surrounded by several teammates and Busch, a teammate with the Dodgers in 2023 and their Tulsa and Oklahoma City minor-league affiliates from 2021-23, Miller was able to walk off the field on his own power.
"It squared him up pretty good," manager Dave Roberts said after the game. "It was kind of the front side of the head, and you can just see the distance that it traveled once it hit. So there was some deflection, but it hit him pretty flush."
Dodger third baseman Max Muncy said Miller "seems like he was OK."
"When the trainer came out, asked him if he knew where he was, he made a little joke about hanging a curveball," Muncy said. "Right then, you kind of knew he was fine."
Roberts said he expected Miller will "regroup, lay low and get his wits about him and make sure he's OK."
"After that, Lord willing he's fine, then I think we'll have the conversation, because he's going to want to get back out there," Roberts said.
The ball rolled into foul territory for an infield single, driving in Vidal Bruján, cutting the Dodgers' lead to 3-1.
Miller was 11-4 with a 3.76 ERA in 22 starts as a rookie in 2023 and 2- 4 with an 8.52 ERA in 13 starts in 2024. He did not pitch in the 2024 postseason.
Dodger starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing three hits and striking out two.
Eddie Rosario hit a two-run homer for the Dodgers in the second inning, four days after signing a minor league contract with the team. The 33- year-old has 10 years of major league experience with four teams, and was the MVP of the Atlanta Braves' 2021 National League Championship Series victory over the Dodgers.
Both Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman were unable to play as they continue to recover from off-season surgeries. Both are expected to be able to play in the Dodgers' season opener March 18 against the Cubs in Tokyo.
Ohtani underwent successful arthroscopic shoulder surgery Nov. 5 "to repair a labrum tear that resulted from a left (non-throwing) shoulder dislocation" during Game 2 of the World Series, according to the team.
Ohtani injured the shoulder sliding while trying to steal second base in the seventh inning of the Oct. 26 game against the New York Yankees. Despite the injury, he played in all remaining games of the series.
Freeman underwent a procedure consisting of debridement and the removal of loose bodies from his right ankle in Dec. 5. He sprained his ankle on Sept. 25 and missed the last three games of the regular season, then played through the injury in the postseason.