San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Erik Miller (elbow) said Monday that he had been dealing with forearm tightness for the last few weeks before going on the 15-day injury list on Saturday, per San Francisco Chronicle's Shayna Rubin. He had an MRI done that revealed a mild UCL sprain in his pitching arm. While the 27-year-old stated that he isn't worried about his injury, the most optimistic timeline given for his recovery was five weeks. Miller had been a viable fantasy option in saves-plus-holds leagues, going 4-1 with 10 holds and a 1.50 ERA in 30 IP. However, walks had been a significant issue for him, with a 15.6% walk rate, and his 17.2% strikeout rate was notably lower than his career mark of 26.5%.

The San Francisco Giants have placed reliever Erik Miller (elbow) on the 15-day injured list with a strained left elbow, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The team selected fellow southpaw Scott Alexander from Triple-A Sacramento to take Miller's roster spot. Miller has recorded a superb 1.50 ERA and totaled 10 holds over 30 innings, but he has succeeded despite poor strikeout and walk rates. With just 22 strikeouts against 20 walks, metrics such as FIP (3.92), xERA (4.33), and xFIP (5.05) suggest Miller is in for negative regression when he returns. Alexander, meanwhile, is set for his second stint with the Giants after pitching out of their bullpen from 2022-23. He spent last year with Oakland and the beginning of this season with Colorado. The Rockies released the 35-year-old in late May after he turned in 16 1/3 innings of 6.06 ERA with six strikeouts and seven walks. Alexander rejoined the Giants on a minor-league contract in early June.

San Francisco Giants left-handed pitcher Erik Miller (illness) made his spring training debut on Saturday against the Kansas City Royals. Miller allowed one hit and hit a batter but did not allow a run. He tallied all three of his outs via strikeouts. The 27-year-old initially dealt with a minor finger injury during camp but then came down with an illness that extended his absence. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his stats but should not expect the 27-year-old to face many restrictions during the remainder of camp. Last summer, Miller made his MLB debut and held a 3.88 ERA with a 1.31 WHIP across 67 1/3 innings of work. He tallied 87 strikeouts but posted a high 13.4 percent rate. Miller generated an impressive 3.14 xERA with a .190 xBA, suggesting he should face some positive regression in 2025. During the regular season, he should compete for a high-leverage role in the bullpen.

San Francisco Giants left-handed reliever Erik Miller (illness), who was dealing with a 104-degree fever while battling the flu recently, said he's feeling like himself again and will pitch in Friday's Cactus League game against the Cincinnati Reds. In addition to being out with the flu, Miller missed time early in spring training due to numbness in his left hand. However, the 27-year-old southpaw is ready to go and should open the 2025 season in San Fran's bullpen. Miller did have an ERA under 4.00 with 87 strikeouts in 67 1/3 relief innings, but he also had 38 walks in 73 appearances (10 starts). His lack of control is certainly controlling -- he also displayed issues throwing strikes consistently in the minors -- but he makes up for it with an above-average strikeout rate and high ground-ball rate. It led to 14 holds in his rookie season, which makes Miller a candidate for high-leverage relief work in 2025.

San Francisco Giants left-handed pitcher Erik Miller (illness) was unable to throw his live bullpen session on Saturday due to an illness. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status but should not expect him to miss an extended period of time. The southpaw has been dealing with a finger injury throughout camp but could be nearing his spring debut once he recovers from this illness. The 27-year-old made his MLB debut last summer and held a 3.88 ERA with a 1.31 WHIP across 67 1/3 innings of work. He tallied an impressive 87 punchouts and generated an elite 51.9 percent ground ball rate. However, Miller showed weak command of his pitches as he held a hefty 13.4 percent walk rate. When healthy, fantasy managers should expect Miller to compete for a high-leverage role in the San Francisco bullpen.

San Francisco Giants left-handed pitcher Erik Miller (finger) is dealing with finger numbness. However, Miller is expected to be ready to pitch in a few days and will not undergo any tests. Last season, the southpaw made his big league debut and held a 3.88 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP across 67 1/3 innings of work. He tallied an impressive 87 punchouts but served up walks at a high 13.4 percent rate. He also generated a strong 3.14 xERA and a .190 xBA, which were both well above the average marks. The Giants noted earlier in the offseason that they plan on easing Miller's workload during spring training regardless of this recent injury. Fantasy managers should expect Miller to likely be deployed out of the bullpen during the 2025 campaign and could eventually earn a high-leverage role.

San Francisco Giants left-hander Erik Miller will serve as the team's opener for Friday's series opener against the hosting Cleveland Guardians. While Miller has been successful as an opener for the Giants this year, it's a bad matchup and he's not going to be in the game long enough to qualify for a win. The 26-year-old southpaw has gone 2-2 on the season with a 3.69 ERA and 1.18 WHIP with 44 strikeouts in 39 innings of work over 40 appearances (eight starts). In his eight "starts," he's posted a sharp 1.04 ERA and 1.27 WHIP with nine strikeouts and five walks in just 8 2/3 innings pitched. After Miller is pulled from the game on Friday, the most likely candidate to work in a bulk-relief role for San Francisco will be Spencer Bivens.

The San Francisco Giants announced that pitcher Erik Miller will open the game against the Chicago Cubs on Monday. Miller last pitched on June 19, where he also started, and threw one scoreless inning with one walk and two strikeouts. The left-hander will start on Monday, but Spencer Howard is expected to follow him out of the bullpen and serve as the bulk reliever. Howard has struggled as of late on the mound, giving up seven runs (six earned runs) with five walks and four strikeouts over his last 3 1/3 innings of work. He does get a favorable matchup against a Cubs offense that ranks in the bottom half of the league in most categories. Still, Howard should only be considered in extremely deep formats on Monday.

San Francisco Giants left-hander Erik Miller (calf), who was unavailable due to a sore calf over the weekend, will serve as the team's opener on Tuesday night against the visiting Philadelphia Phillies. Triple-A Sacramento right-hander Spencer Howard was being discussed as a candidate to be promoted to pitch in a bulk capacity. Miller, a 26-year-old rookie, tossed a scoreless inning in Monday's win over the Phillies but hasn't gone more than 1 2/3 innings in any of his first 26 major-league appearances this year, which includes two opening assignments already this year. Because he probably won't go more than one inning in this contest, he's completely off the streaming radar. Miller currently has a 4.38 ERA and 1.18 WHIP with 14 walks and 31 strikeouts in 24 2/3 innings in his rookie season.