Cubs get ominous Shelby Miller update after comeback started feeling too good to be true

Shelby Miller has been turned heads over the past month during his minor-league rehab assignment, flashing signs of potentially being the swing-and-miss relief pitcher the Chicago Cubs need at the backend of their bullpen. One of the last boxes that Miller had to check was being able to pitch on back-to-back days, and it would seem that the veteran relief pitcher may have experienced a setback.

During an outing with the Iowa Cubs last Friday, Miller was pulled during the middle of an inning after eaching 15 pitches. He reached 15 pitches in the middle of facing the third batter of his appearance, and he consequently issued an intentional walk before exiting the game.

On the surface, that's not entirely unusual. The Cubs have maintained that they will slow-play Miller's rehab assignment, so it's possible that they wanted to stick to the 15-pitch cap regardless of how the veteran pitcher got there.

Shelby Miller's Cubs comeback gets ominous update that makes early optimism feel premature

The concern lies with what happened next. Miller was originally scheduled to pitch on Saturday for the I-Cubs, but he ultimately didn't make an appearance. Ditto for Sunday's game. Couple that with the circumstances surrounding his removal on Friday, and it would seem that maybe something is off.

It also wouldn't seem that the Cubs have seen enough from Miller to cut a corner during his recovery. Even though the Cubs bullpen has beek leaking oil over the past week, Miller is signed a to a two-year deal. When the Cubs signed Miller at the start of spring training, there wasn't much thought of him helping the team this year. Now that the door is opened, the Cubs have been adamant about the veteran pitcher needing to prove capable of pitching on back-to-back days.

There aren't minor-league games on Monday. Outside of Craig Counsell providing an update before tonight's game against the Milwaukee Brewers, there may not be an update on Miller's status until Tuesday.

Tuesday does mark the first day of roster expansion. While one report has suggested that BJ Murray is set to be called up by the Cubs, the larger focus on rosters expanding is what it means for the pitching staff. There was an expectation that one of the additional roster spots would eventually go to Miller. That still may be the case, but it's hard to ignore the circumstances around his latest outing with the I-Cubs.

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