SAN FRANCISCO — For all the speculation in recent months, All-Star closer Mason Miller wasn’t all that stressed about being dealt to another team heading into Tuesday’s trade deadline. Much of that peace of mind derived from the black cast on his left hand.
“I mean, I feel like this kind of put that to bed for me,” Miller said prior to the A’s Tuesday night game against the Giants at Oracle Park.
Miller addressed reporters for the first time since fracturing the fifth metacarpal in the pinky of his left hand after a win against the Astros, an injury that he sustained after pounding his fist on a padded table in frustration.
“Extremely disappointed about it,” Miller said. “It’s never some place you want to end up, on the IL, especially something of your own fault. Yeah, just disappointed in myself and how it went down. Just looking forward to getting back.”
According to A’s manager Mark Kotsay, who addressed the incident last Thursday, Miller was reminded that he had to do a postgame lift after tossing a scoreless inning to secure Oakland’s 4-0 win over Houston. Miller subsequently “pounded his fist down on a padded training table out of emotion.”
“We’ve all been there, done it, and unfortunately, it resulted in him fracturing his non-pitching hand, his left hand, in or around where his pinky area is,” Kotsay said.
Miller said the incident “definitely hurt” in the moment, expressing that he was hoping for a bone bruise. He has continued throwing despite having the cast on his left hand, his glove-less bullpen on Tuesday being in the range of 20-to-25 pitches.
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“It crossed my mind that it could be broken because of how small the bones are in your hand,” Miller said. “Given that it was a padded table and that it wasn’t a full intent beating the table up, it was just one hit. I was hopeful that it wasn’t and maybe something that I can work through in a couple days, but putting it into the glove and trying to close the glove, I couldn’t really do it. I can’t really go out there and have a scarecrow glove on my hand.”
Miller is unsure of how long it will take for him to pitch in a game again, noting that it will depend on how his left hand responds to squeeze and wearing a glove. According to A’s general manager David Forst, Miller should be out of the cast sometime early next week.
“The fact that we’re able to keep his arm going — my understanding is he’s up to 95 (mph) in his bullpen today — means that he can come back very quickly once he’s ready to use his left hand,” Forst said.
“Kind of gotta just take it day by day and see how it goes,” Miller said. “It’s feeling better. There’s not a lot you can do for a broken bone to make it feel faster.”
The A’s were already rolling with a closer by committee with Miller hitting the injured list, but manager Mark Kotsay’s list of options got slimmer with Lucas Erceg being traded to the Royals on Tuesday as well. Tyler Ferguson will likely continue to see opportunities as Oakland’s closer, having recorded saves against the Angels last Thursday and Saturday. Right-hander Austin Adams and left-hander Scott Alexander, a pair of veterans who were not traded at the deadline, could have chances to close out ballgames as well.
Miller, a first-time All-Star, owns a 2.21 ERA over 40 2/3 innings this season, totaling 15 saves and 70 strikeouts.
