CLEVELAND _ There's virtually no way to replace a reliever like Andrew Miller, so the Indians have been trying to get by until he returns from the disabled list.
Their wait might not be too much longer.
Miller was placed on the 10-day disabled list retroactive to Aug. 2 with patella tendonitis in his right knee, meaning he's eligible to return Saturday. According to Indians manager Terry Francona, Miller might not need much more time than that before he's back in Cleveland.
Still, that doesn't mean the Indians will rush him back, either.
"He may not be able to come off the day that he's eligible, but by all accounts he's really doing well and I don't think it will be too long after that," Francona said Tuesday. "But we have to let him get back. There's no reason to have him miss 10 days and then cut it short by two or three. We'll do the right thing and hopefully we'll get him back. He's able to throw now, so he'll be fine."
Miller had his ERA climb to 1.67 this season, still among the best marks in the majors, as he pitched for roughly a month through the knee injury, which affected the way he landed in his delivery. An All-Star this season, even while battling some discomfort, he has been among the best in the game.
Once he is deemed healthy enough to return, Francona joked Miller will be back on the mound "five minutes after he's off the disabled list."
With Miller on the disabled list, and with Boone Logan on the 60-day DL with a strained lat, Tyler Olson has been the lone lefty in the Indians bullpen. Entering Tuesday's game against the Colorado Rockies, he had held his own, allowing four hits but no runs in 41/3 innings with five strikeouts.
