Cincinnati Reds pitcher Wade Miley has been named in court filings as a possible source of drugs used by Tyler Skaggs, the Los Angeles Angels pitcher who died in 2019 from an accidental overdose.
According to a deposition by Skaggs’ former agent Ryan Hamill, Skaggs had confided that he was taking oxycodone-laced pain pills supplied by Miley. The statement is part of a wrongful death lawsuit brought by Skaggs’ family against the Angels in California.
Previously, former Angels public relations staffer Eric Kay was convicted in Texas of providing the fentanyl-laced pills that contributed to Skaggs’ death, according to the autopsy report. Kay is currently serving a 22-year sentence in federal prison.
Skaggs was found dead in a hotel room in the Dallas area just hours before the Angels were scheduled to begin a series against the Texas Rangers.
Miley, who has not been criminally charged, has previously been linked to the case. During Kay’s sentencing hearing, prosecutors introduced an audio recording of Kay speaking with his mother, in which Kay claimed that Miley was among those who supplied drugs to Skaggs.
The Reds have declined to comment, and Miley has not responded publicly.
Another former major league pitcher, Matt Harvey, testified during Kay’s trial that he also supplied drugs to Skaggs. As a result, Harvey was suspended for 60 days under Major League Baseball’s drug policy and did not return to the majors. He and several other players also testified that they received pills from Skaggs and witnessed recreational drug use during their time with the Angels.
Harvey and Skaggs were teammates on the Angels in 2019, while Miley and Skaggs played together for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2012 and 2013.
Hamill stated that Skaggs implicated Miley during a 2013 conversation, following concerns Hamill had raised with Skaggs’ parents about the pitcher’s behavior. The three confronted Skaggs at his home, where he admitted to using drugs and alleged that Miley had been supplying him.
Now 38 years old, Miley recently signed a one-year deal with the Reds on June 4 and has made two starts so far this season. He underwent Tommy John surgery on his left elbow in May 2024 and previously signed a minor league contract with Cincinnati in February.
Miley had an opt-out clause that allowed him to leave if he wasn’t on the major league roster by June 1. He exercised the clause but remained with the organization while exploring other opportunities, eventually re-signing with the Reds. The 14-year MLB veteran continues to pitch in Cincinnati.
