All-Star closer Mason Miller faces manager Mark Kotsay in live bullpen

Mason Miller took a step in his recovery from a fractured lefty pinky by wearing a glove while throwing a 15-pitch bullpen — four of those pitches being thrown to his manager

OAKLAND — Mason Miller has struck out some of the best hitters of this generation in recent months, a list that includes Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, among others. But on Monday, the flame-throwing All-Star was unable to punch out a batter who hasn’t had a major-league at-bat in over a decade.

His manager.

“He wasn’t at full velo today but it’s always fun to get an assessment,” said manager Mark Kotsay. “Spent 17 years in a batter’s box. We have a pretty good idea of what it’s supposed to look like.”

Mason Miller throwing a live bullpen today. His first batter? Mark Kotsay. pic.twitter.com/BSczczG1wb

— Justice delos Santos (@justdelossantos) August 5, 2024

Kotsay was one of three hitters who Miller, wearing a modified splint underneath his glove, faced during a 15-pitch live bullpen on Monday. The manager fouled off three of the closer’s four offerings before bowing out in the middle of the at-bat. Miller may not have earned the bragging rights of striking out his skipper, but he took another step in his recovery from his self-inflicted fractured lefty pinky injury and could potentially return later this week.

“He came out of it feeling great, which is a great sign,” Kotsay said.

A career .276 hitter over 7,110 plate appearances, the 48-year-old Kotsay had a simple game plan against his closer.

“Put it in play,” Kotsay said. “And no, I did not swing and miss at his heater.”

Miller’s ability to catch a ball is more pertinent than his ability to throw one. Upon fracturing his left pinky, an injury that occurred when he pounded a training room table in frustration after being told to do a postgame lift, Miller began wearing a black cast on his left hand.

Last week, Miller threw a bullpen without a glove during the Bay Bridge Series in San Francisco. On Monday, by contrast, was wearing a glove and receiving throws from bullpen catcher Wilkin Castillo.

“He’s more comfortable and can get the glove squeezed and protect himself on a ball coming back at him, which is first and foremost,” Kotsay said of Miller, who has a 2.21 ERA with 15 saves and 70 strikeouts.

Along with Miller, shortstop Jacob Wilson, currently recovering from a left hamstring strain that he sustained in his major-league debut, is upping his baseball activities. The 22-year-old recently began a running progression, which Kotsay considers the most important part of his recovery. On Monday, Wilson, the team’s top prospect per MLB Pipeline, fielded grounders from about 45 feet and participated in pregame batting practice.

“Everything’s going great,” said Wilson, placed on the injured list on July 21. “They’re doing a good job of taking care of me and building me back up to try and get on the field as fast as possible. I feel like we’re doing a good job of that. Everything is going smoothly so far, and I’m looking forward to getting back out there. It’s definitely been a grindy progression so far, but I’m excited to be back out there.”

Added Kotsay: “The hamstrings are things that you don’t want to rush. You want to maybe take an extra day or two just to confirm that it’s physically capable of handling the demand, especially playing in the middle of the field.”

Wilson, the sixth selection in the 2023 MLB Draft, made his debut on July 19 after hitting .401 over 72 career minor-league games. He singled in his first plate appearance, lining a single to left field, but aggravated his hamstring as he scored on a double by Lawrence Butler, hobbling as he approached home plate. Wilson was subsequently removed from the game.