CINCINNATI -- Reds veteran left-handed pitcher Wade Miley was activated Wednesday from the 10-day injured list and will be entering territory that is only quasi-familiar: pitching out of the bullpen.

Miley has been out since Aug. 28 with a left shoulder strain. Because the season is near its end and the Reds are fighting for a postseason spot, Reds manager David Bell plans to use Miley in a relief role, as he did in Wednesday's 6-1 win over Milwaukee. Miley pitched a scoreless ninth inning and gave up one hit to back Trevor Bauer's eight-inning gem on short rest.

“He was activated to help us win a game. That could come at any time in the game,” Bell said. “He hasn’t pitched a lot out of the bullpen. But I do think his past experience will serve him well. I think he learned from doing it. It’s pretty simple. He’s one of the guys we need because of his experience, his stuff and everything he’s been through as a pitcher and the success he’s had in his career.

"He’s a pitcher we want pitching in these games. He was not activated today not as a backup to just eat innings or anything like that. We’re not making decisions based on that at this point.”

The last time Miley pitched in relief in the regular season came at the start of the 2012 season, when he appeared out of the bullpen three times for Arizona. He also made a relief appearance in Game 3 of last year's American League Division Series for the Astros in a 10-3 loss, giving up three runs (two earned) with four hits, including a home run, over 2 2/3 innings.

“Last year, it was fun. The adrenaline got to me way faster than I thought it would,” Miley said. “I guess the situation, not that I wasn’t ready, I just didn’t understand what it was going to be like. Even in ’12, when I came out, I was the long guy, so I always got a clean inning. It was like they would bring in somebody else to finish an inning off, and then I had the next.

“And then last year, in the DS against Tampa, man, I was just sitting down there watching the game, enjoying the game, the next thing you know, I’m jogging out to the mound. I was borderline freaking out with adrenaline. I felt like I was loose, adrenaline was pumping. Once I got settled in and threw that first inning, it was back to normal. But that instant, to get out there, was definitely different and exciting, but I think I’ll be more prepared for it now.”

Miley was cleared to return Wednesday after he showed that his arm could recover fully from throwing off a mound.

“Two days ago, I threw a 15-20 pitch side [session]. It went really well. I was happy about it,” Miley said. “The live [batting practice] I threw was maybe four or five days ago. I mean, I got out of there good. Things weren’t as sharp as I wanted them, but it was a lot better than the bullpen. I’ve thrown off the mound every other day for the last three or four days, and everything seems to be fine.”

Stephenson sent out
To make room for Miley on the 28-man roster, the Reds optioned catcher Tyler Stephenson to the postseason player pool bubble. During the homestand, which began on Sept. 14, Stephenson was 1-for-7 but hit a game-winning walk-off home run vs. the Pirates in the first game. He was 0-for-5 in his past two starts, both as the designated hitter.

The normal roster rules apply to Stephenson, and he must wait at least 10 days to return -- unless there is an injury that forces a move to the IL for another player.

“We told Tyler that, first of all, he’s done nothing but help himself in what he’s done with us,” Bell said. “He’s shown he can catch here. We know he is going to hit here. It was nothing he did wrong. It was more of a roster move that made sense for us right now. But he’s going to remain an option into the postseason, once he’s eligible to come back. No guarantees. If and when we get to that point, we would have to look at each series.”

The bubble has begun
Beginning Wednesday, the Reds entered a bubble environment like all National League clubs that are in contention for the postseason.

“If we entered the bubble yesterday, we would have had to go to a hotel in Cincinnati. But since we travel to Minnesota, we moved our travel to after the game tonight so we can only go into one hotel and not have two different moves,” Bell said. “I don’t know how much different it’s going to feel than the last two months. It’s a little bit more strict. Our players, our staff, our travel party, we have followed the protocols closely. I think we have gone above and beyond to stay healthy and be safe.”