Guardians activate Owen Miller from COVID IL

The Guardians are activating Owen Miller from the COVID-related injured list prior to Sunday’s game, per Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal. Konnor Pilkington is being optioned to make room for Miller on the active roster. Players on the COVID IL don’t count against a team’s 40-man roster, but the club had an open spot, meaning they won’t be required to make a corresponding move in that regard.

Miller was one of several Guardians players who went on the COVID IL last week. That interrupted an otherworldly start to the season for Miller, who hit .500/.545/.964 in his first nine games. That amounts to a wRC+ of 334. That’s obviously a very small sample, but it’s nonetheless encouraging for a Cleveland team that was widely expected to have strong pitching but mediocre offense. In order to stay competitive in a strong American League playoff race, they will need some of the young players on their roster, like the 25-year-old Miller, to take steps forward.

With Miller’s return, the club’s 40-man roster is now full. However, Yu Chang and Anthony Castro aren’t currently occupying spots due to being on the COVID IL and will need to be added back once they are available to return.

As for Pilkington, the 24-year-old was just called up in recent days and made his MLB debut, throwing five scoreless innings with five strikeouts and just a single walk.