Wade Miley Becomes Free Agent After Opting Out of Reds Contract

CHICAGO (AP) — Left-handed pitcher Wade Miley has opted out of his contract with the Cincinnati Reds, becoming a free agent. The 38-year-old pitcher made the announcement on Sunday after struggling in his recovery from Tommy John surgery.

Miley’s performance at Triple-A Louisville this season was disappointing, as he posted a 1-2 record with an 8.84 ERA over seven starts. He intended to seek a starting opportunity elsewhere after Cincinnati elected not to add him to their roster.

Reds manager Terry Francona acknowledged Miley’s struggles and praised the club’s president of baseball operations Nick Krall. Francona noted that putting Miley in the bullpen would not be fair to him given his desire to start games. “It’s not necessarily entirely fair to him, I just appreciate the way Nick handled it with him,” Francona stated.

Miley, an All-Star in 2012 while with the Arizona Diamondbacks, has a career record of 108-99 and a 4.07 ERA in 310 starts across 14 seasons in Major League Baseball.

Francona mentioned that if Miley does not find a better opportunity, he could return to the Reds organization. Miley himself expressed hopefulness about getting back into a professional baseball setting after a frustrating recovery process.

In related news, infielder Jeimer Candelario is set to begin his own minor league rehab assignment on Monday after recovering from a lower-back injury. Candelario will initially play in Arizona before moving his rehab to Louisville.