MLB Rumors: A's Mason Miller Suffered Hand Injury on Training Table amid Trade Buzz

Oakland Athletics closer Mason Miller is going on the 15-day injured list with a broken left hand, the team announced.

Martín Gallegos of MLB.com reported the 2024 All-Star suffered a fracture in his left pinkie finger because he put his hand "awkwardly on the training table while getting ready to do an exercise" after Oakland's 4-0 win over the Houston Astros on Monday. Gallegos initially said he hit the table "in frustration."

A's manager Mark Kotsay later cleared up any speculation surrounding Miller's injury, telling reporters that the original statement regarding the pitcher fracturing his pinky while hitting the table in frustration "is pretty accurate."

Miller has been dominant on the mound this season. He has 15 saves and a 1.69 FIP in 34 appearances, and he's averaging 15.5 strikeouts per nine innings.

Pitchers hitting triple digits on the radar gun is becoming more commonplace, but the right-hander's velocity has turned heads in 2023. According to Baseball Savant, he's averaging 100.9 mph on his four-seam fastball, and he got up to 103.6 mph in the All-Star Game.

Miller's performance and the Athletics' 41-63 record has made him the speculation of trade rumors leading up to the July 30 deadline.

However, ESPN's Buster Olney reported recently he's "out of play in the trade market." Now, the hand injury effectively removes any doubt as to his short-term future, though his return date is unclear for the time being.

Unfortunately for Miller, there will now be a place on the long list of MLB players to get hurt in unusual circumstances.

The A's will also need to find another closer, having already lost reliever Michael Kelly to a one-year suspension for betting on games while in the minors. Lucas Erceg or T.J. McFarland is the likeliest candidate to handle ninth-inning duties for now.