Padres place Mason Miller on paternity list; out for Game 3
San Diego's closer stepped away ahead of a must-win NLDS game as the Padres try to even their series with Milwaukee.
Why Mason Miller is trending
Mason Miller is trending because the Padres put their closer on the paternity list roughly 45 minutes before Game 3 of the National League Division Series on Tuesday night against the Brewers. His wife was expecting the couple's first child. Lefty Wandy Peralta takes his spot on the roster for the game.
What we know: Miller is away from the team under MLB's paternity list rule, which allows a player up to three days off. He is eligible to return as early as Wednesday's Game 4. What we don't know from the reporting is exactly when the baby arrived or any other family details, since the source only confirms the roster move and the reason given. What happens next is set by the calendar. The Padres trail this series 2-0 and have to win Tuesday just to force a Game 4, and that game is where Miller could first be available again.
The outing that preceded this
Miller's last appearance came Sunday night. He entered for the ninth with a one-run lead, walked the bases loaded, then gave up a two-out single to Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio that ended the game. He threw 40 pitches in that outing, trying to get six outs for only the third time all season.
The Padres would likely have turned to him again in a save spot in Game 3 had he been available. Instead the bullpen plan shifts without its closer for at least one game, with the series already on the line.
Who covers the ninth now
Manager Craig Stammen said Michael King, who is lined up to start a potential Game 5, will sit in the bullpen Tuesday and could pitch if the situation calls for it. That is a short-series choice, using a starter as a reliever because the alternative is losing and going home.
It puts extra weight on San Diego's other arms in a game they have to win. The series format does the rest of the explaining: lose Tuesday and there is no Wednesday.
What to watch for next
The clearest marker here is Wednesday. If the Padres win Tuesday to force Game 4, that is also the first game Miller is eligible to return for under the three-day paternity list window. If San Diego loses Tuesday, the series ends and the question of Miller's return becomes moot for this postseason.
Nothing in the reporting speaks to his condition beyond the roster move itself, so any read on his availability for a possible Game 4 is guesswork until the team says otherwise.
Facts per ESPN. Opinion is the taproom's.