It's time for Reds fans to admit they were wrong about this unwanted signing

When Wade Miley opted out of his contract and then re-signed with the Cincinnati Reds as the stopgap in response to Hunter Greene’s injury, the news was met with little fanfare. After all, Cincinnati was dancing around the .500 mark and just lost its ace. Could a pitcher who last saw big-league action more than a year ago really keep the Reds afloat? The veteran is starting to make his case.

After a disastrous first outing, Miley is showing signs of returning to form. In key series against playoff hopeful teams in the AL Central, Miley put together two solid starts, allowing five runs in 10 innings against the Cleveland Guardians Guardians and Detroit Tigers.

His control is getting sharper; he increased his strike rate nearly 10% between his past two outings. At the very least, this demonstrates that Miley can keep his head above water while the Reds wait on Greene to come off the IL.

Wade Miley is grinding and providing the veteran presence the Reds need

Miley is also benefitting the team with his experience. He is respected in the clubhouse, as evidenced by Emilio Pagán’s petition for Miley to return to the team after the starter opted out. Miley has been where the Reds want to be. He has more postseason innings pitched than the rest of the Reds rotation combined, and of course, he is the architect of the Reds’ most recent no-hitter.

Will Miley once again reach those heights? Probably not. His underlying stats are far from impressive. He’s leaving his fastball up in the zone and frequently missing with his changeup, and opponents have a 45% hard-hit rate against him. Sooner or later, that hard contact will catch up with Miley. In the meantime, he is putting in the work that the Reds need at this point in the season.

Cincinnati is in the midst of a grueling stretch but has made out well so far. The team has won the past three series, and if they can keep up the hot streak, they could gain ground on the St. Louis Cardinals and San Diego Padres, both of whom are in the Wild Card hunt and who will play the Reds before the end of June. Miley will play a role in that success (or lack thereof) as he’ll likely pull a start in each of those series.

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