told the Tribune in March<\/a> that he wanted to get back to the majors in September, which would be less than 12 months since undergoing the procedure for the second time in his career. That aggressive goal is on track to be achieved.<\/p>\n\u201cShelby\u2019s rehab and return to play at this point has gone as well as it possibly could, and he\u2019s done a heck of a job, and the staff in Arizona has done a heck of a job with Shelby,\u201d manager Craig Counsell said. \u201cSo we\u2019ve got to a place that we probably didn\u2019t anticipate getting to in March when we signed him. Having said that, we\u2019ve got steps to go here still, so I wouldn\u2019t consider this, like, yeah Shelby Miller\u2019s back. This is coming back from a serious injury. His rehab\u2019s going to be a little longer, and we have to be a little safer with his rehab as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Miller started a rehab assignment Sunday and has appeared in two games. He allowed one run on two hits with two strikeouts in his first outing and then, on Wednesday at Double-A Knoxville, struck out all three batters he faced.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a credit to Shelby,\u201d Counsell said. \u201cHe\u2019s worked his tail off. I mean, he\u2019s been maybe a model for how you try to return from this injury, really. And so we\u2019re all rooting for him, and we\u2019ll see what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of the most important parts of Miller\u2019s comeback process is how he feels after pitching and how he recovers between appearances. So far there haven\u2019t been any issues, but the Cubs are going to be careful as he progresses. Miller, whom the Cubs want to be built up to at most two innings, also has to get to a point at which he can show he\u2019s capable of pitching back-to-back days.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have to be able to handle a major-league workload, yeah,\u201d Counsell said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got weeks to go.\u201d<\/p>\n
Making a smooth transition to Sox
\n![\"Chicago](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1786709006_40_CTC-L-sox-reds009.jpg\")
White Sox center fielder Brenton Doyle wears a pope hat in the dugout after hitting a solo home run in the first inning against the Reds on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, at Rate Field. (Chris Sweda\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n
Brenton Doyle didn\u2019t waste any time making an impact for the Sox on Tuesday, jumping on the first pitch of the bottom of the first for a leadoff home run.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the leadoff spot is a great position to be put in to get some early momentum for the game, and I wanted to be aggressive early on in that at-bat,\u201d Doyle told the Tribune on Wednesday. \u201cAnd I got the first pitch to put a good swing on, and put my \u2018A\u2019 swing on it.\u201d<\/p>\n
When Doyle returned to the dugout, teammate Chase Meidroth placed a pope hat on his head. Doyle got a kick out of including the highly anticipated promotion in the celebration.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was definitely appropriate for the night,\u201d Doyle said. \u201cThat was a fun crowd and a good celebration. I\u2019m glad that one of the hats made its way into the dugout for the home run celebration.\u201d<\/p>\n
The outfielder has contributed offensively and defensively since being traded from the Colorado Rockies on Aug. 3. He is 7-for-25 (.280) with one home run, one RBI, two stolen bases and three runs in his first nine games with the Sox.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been comfortable,\u201d Doyle said. \u201cI give a lot of credit to the coaching staff and the hitting staff here and definitely my teammates. They\u2019ve made the transition super easy for me, and it\u2019s helped me be comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Doyle said overall the transition has been \u201cgoing great.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe energy, the vibes here are awesome,\u201d Doyle said. \u201cI really enjoy coming to the clubhouse every single day and ready to get after it with this group of guys.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re always in the game, no matter if we get down early or not. \u2026 We\u2019ve got some dogs on this team that are always wanting to fight, no matter what score.\u201d<\/p>\n
Number of the week: 3<\/p>\n
According to STATS, only three teams in Major League Baseball history have reached the playoffs the season after losing 100 games: the Kansas City Royals in 2024, Miami Marlins in 2020 and Minnesota Twins in 2017. The Sox, who went 60-102 in 2025, are attempting to join that list this season.<\/p>\n
Week ahead: Cubs
\n![\"Chicago](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CTC-CUBS-BREWERS025_262830524.jpg\")
Cubs closer Daniel Palencia heads back to the dugout during a game against the Brewers on May 20, 2026, at Wrigley Field. (Stacey Wescott\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n
\n- Friday: vs. Cardinals, 1:20 p.m., Apple TV<\/li>\n
- Saturday: vs. Cardinals, 1:20 p.m., Marquee<\/li>\n
- Sunday: vs. Cardinals, 1:20 p.m., Marquee<\/li>\n
- Monday: vs. White Sox, 7:05 p.m., Marquee, CHSN, The U<\/li>\n
- Tuesday: vs. White Sox, 7:05 p.m., Marquee, CHSN, The U<\/li>\n
- Wednesday: vs. White Sox, 1:20 p.m., Marquee, CHSN, The U<\/li>\n
- Thursday: off<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Daniel Palencia\u2019s rehab assignment is not off to a smooth start.<\/p>\n
Palencia, out since June 16 because of a flexor strain, has made three appearances, and the results haven\u2019t been great for the Cubs closer. Poor command has led to five runs in 2 1\/3 innings despite just one hit. He ha walked six batters, hit one and struck out three.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve just got to keep Danny out there, that\u2019s the most important thing,\u201d Counsell said. \u201cHe has not been sharp the last couple times out, so we\u2019re just going to keep getting him out there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Palencia has been limited to only 16 2\/3 innings for the Cubs because of his current injury and an oblique strain earlier in the season that landed him on the injured list for three weeks. The Cubs will need Palencia down the stretch, but the 26-year-old must be sharper and work through the command problems before they can activate him.<\/p>\n
Left-hander Hoby Milner could soon be rejoining the bullpen after making another rehab appearance Wednesday for Triple-A Iowa. The Cubs don\u2019t appear to be in a rush to figure out who Milner would replace in a pen that has limited optionable relievers.<\/p>\n
Week ahead: White Sox
\n![\"Chicago](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CTC-L-sox-reds031.jpg\")
White Sox starter Sean Burke has a laugh as he walks to the dugout during a game against the Reds on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, at Rate Field. (Chris Sweda\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n
\n- Friday: at Tigers, 5:40 p.m., CHSN<\/li>\n
- Saturday: at Tigers, 12:10 p.m., CHSN<\/li>\n
- Sunday: at Tigers, 12:40 p.m., CHSN<\/li>\n
- Monday: at Cubs, 7:05 p.m., CHSN, The U, Marquee<\/li>\n
- Tuesday: at Cubs, 7:05 p.m., CHSN, The U, Marquee<\/li>\n
- Wednesday: at Cubs, 1:20 p.m., CHSN, The U, Marquee<\/li>\n
- Thursday: vs. Braves, 1:10 p.m., CHSN<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Starter Sean Burke lowered his ERA to 2.99 after allowing one run on three hits with eight strikeouts and no walks in seven innings Tuesday against the Reds.\u00a0The right-hander has been on a roll in his last 10 appearances (nine starts) since June 18, going 4-2 with a 1.60 ERA, 11 walks and 79 strikeouts in 62 innings.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think most of my growth has been more mental than physical,\u201d Burke said after Tuesday\u2019s start. \u201cObviously the stuff has been a little bit better too. But I think just the ability to recognize what\u2019s working and what zones I have to attack. And just getting on the same page. This is kind of year two with me working with (catcher Edgar Quero), and really year like two and a half just because we threw together in the minors too.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think more and more I throw with (Quero) and more and more with (catcher Drew) Romo, just getting on the same page and learning together has been helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n
Burke ranked seventh in the American League in ERA and fifth in strikeouts (152) coming into Thursday.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s pitching with extreme confidence,\u201d manager Will Venable said. \u201cHe\u2019s in control of everything that he wants to do. I think the cool part is that as he gets through the beginning of the games, he understands where he\u2019s at with what pitches are working. (Tuesday is) a great example with the slider, really leaned on it. Sometimes it\u2019s the fastball, sometimes it\u2019s the cutter, curveball or whatever. So just a really good feel for his strengths.\u201d<\/p>\n
Burke is slated to pitch Sunday\u2019s series finale against the Tigers at Comerica Park.<\/p>\n
What we\u2019re reading today<\/p>\n
Quotable<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll make those decisions when we absolutely have to.\u201d \u2014 Counsell on Thursday on whether right-hander Edward Cabrera will make another rehab outing or be activated from the injured list<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Cubs continue to take care of business on the road \u2014 despite their one-hit hiccup Thursday. After…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1000190,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5124],"tags":[960,1271,1274,5386,1818,2765,1370,1266,62],"class_list":["post-1000189","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-chicago","tag-chicago","tag-chicago-cubs","tag-chicago-white-sox","tag-il","tag-illinois","tag-keywee","tag-latest-headlines","tag-mlb","tag-sports"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/117093768401915163","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1000189","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1000189"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1000189\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1000190"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1000189"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1000189"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1000189"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Arizona](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CTC-L-sox-diamondbacks021_230737110.jpg\")
Diamondbacks pitcher Shelby Miller, right, celebrates with catcher Jose Herrera after sealing a victory against the White Sox on June 24, 2025, at Rate Field. (Chris Sweda\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n