All-Star closer Mason Miller is returning to the San Diego Padres’ bullpen on Wednesday night after missing one playoff game for the surprise birth of his son, Lincoln.

The newborn was delivered during Game 3 of the NL Division Series against Milwaukee and Miller received the news the Pads would hang on to their season through the new parents’ midwife.

“I think right when we kind of got everybody settled, got Jordan in bed with the baby, they said the Padres won. It was pretty amazing,” Miller said.

The couple had a few scares the baby was coming on game days throughout the season, and while Miller had hoped the Padres would have an off-day the day of the birth, he said it was “special” hearing it was “phenomenal teammate, a phenomenal person, a phenomenal pitcher” Michael King that got the save 4-3.

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“I feel like I was pretty transparent that kind of regardless of the situation, I really wanted to be there for the birth. And everybody’s super supportive of that, teammates, coaches, front office, everybody. So I’m super grateful for that and super grateful that everything worked out in a way that I was able to be there, and we won.”

“There’s nothing better than laying there with your baby and your wife and just kind of celebrating everything that has went into this.”

Miller, who was on the paternity list for Game 3, was put back on the Padres’ roster for Game 4. The Padres are also hopeful that top setup man Adrian Morejon will be available after he was ruled out of Game 3 with shoulder discomfort, Stammen said.

San Diego is facing elimination for the second straight night at Petco Park against the Brewers, who lead the best-of-five series 2-1. Walker Buehler is starting Game 4 for the Padres after missing the first two games of this series on the paternity list.

“Everybody has a different situation, a different way of looking at it, a different expectation,” manager Craig Stammen said. “There’s always health implications that go with it, and the No. 1 thing is you want a healthy baby and you want Mom and Dad to enjoy it. I think we’ve been able to accomplish that with the two births we’ve had here in October.”

The Padres ruled out Miller about 45 minutes before the first pitch of Game 3 on Tuesday, but San Diego eked out a 4-3 victory with 4 2/3 gritty innings of one-run relief from four pitchers behind starter Nick Pivetta. Game 2 starter Michael King stepped up to pitch the final two innings on one day of rest, earning his first save since 2023.

Miller was an elite closer throughout his first full season with the Padres, racking up 38 saves in 41 opportunities with a 0.90 WHIP and 129 strikeouts in just 70 innings — but he blew a six-out save attempt in Game 2 of the NLDS in Milwaukee.

Miller walked the bases loaded before giving up Jackson Chourio’s two-out, two-strike, two-run single to end the Brewers’ 4-3 win on Miller’s 40th pitch. Both teams dismissed widespread postgame speculation that Miller had been tipping his pitches.

But the Padres have relied on Miller and his 104 mph fastball all season long while winning 91 games and earning the NL’s first wild card spot. Miller earned the save in San Diego’s clinching victory over the Chicago Cubs in the Wild Card Series last week.

Morejon’s absence was also taxing on the Padres’ bullpen after he developed “stickiness” in his shoulder earlier in the series, leading the club to decide he shouldn’t attempt to pitch in Game 3. The Padres will evaluate Morejon before Game 4 to see if he feels good enough to pitch.

“He was feeling a little bit better postgame last night,” Stammen said Wednesday. “So we’re hopeful today that he’ll be available.”

The Padres are hoping for a strong start from Buehler, who hasn’t pitched since Sept. 26. The two-time World Series champion has a career 3.04 ERA over 19 postseason appearances — and in his most recent playoff outing, he secured the save in the Dodgers’ championship-clinching victory over the Yankees in 2024.

Stammen even claimed that King is also available to pitch in Game 4, even after already throwing 14 innings with two starts in the Padres’ first five playoff games.