The San Diego Padres staved off elimination for one night without Mason Miller.
It might be tough to do it in consecutive games during the NLDS against the team that had the best record in baseball during the regular season, the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Brewers still lead the series 2-1, but Game 4 is in San Diego, which gives the Padres some reason for hope.
Miller returning would add to the optimism, for sure, but there’s still some uncertainty.
Is Mason Miller Playing Tonight?
As of 10 a.m. local time in San Diego, there’s no clarity on this yet.
The Padres would have to activate Miller from the paternity list before first pitch for him to be available to pitch out of the bullpen.
The paternity list placement for Miller, which began Tuesday, comes with a one-day minimum and a three-day maximum.
Miller already fulfilled the minimum absence by missing NLDS Game 3. But there’s nothing that says he has to come off on Wednesday, either.
If it made it to Game 5 on Friday, that would be past the maximum absence, but that’s a big if when it’s not clear whether Miller can pitch in Game 4.
The Padres only announced Miller’s paternity list placement within minutes of first pitch on Tuesday night. If they follow a similar script Wednesday, Padres fans may be waiting with some anxiety.
What Happened to Mason Miller?
Miller was placed on the paternity list on Tuesday evening because his wife was expecting their first child.
The paternity list is a mechanism MLB has to allow expectant fathers to step away from the team to be their for their kid’s birth, and it lets a team bring a replacement player onto the roster while the new dad is away.
In this case, the Padres brought Wandy Peralta into their bullpen with Miller out.
It wasn’t immediately clear just how soon Miller’s child might be coming, so it’s hard to know whether he’ll have to stay away or whether he can return to pitch.
In Miller’s absence, the Padres went with a two-inning save for Michael King on Tuesday night to hold off the Brewers. King, a starter, was pitching on his usual bullpen session day, so he didn’t actually mess up his routine to start later in the series.
The Padres wouldn’t be able to pull that same trick on Wednesday, though. Their best recipe for winning at the end of a game is clearly Miller, who was the best closer in the sport in 2026.
Whether or not he’s back with the Padres could help decide this series.
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