Philadelphia Phillies prospect Aidan Miller is slowly building back up from a recurring back injury.
Spring Training was supposed to be an opportunity for Philadelphia Phillies top prospect Aidan Miller to receive plenty of playing time and show that he could contribute to a big-league team at some point during the 2026 season.
Unfortunately, a recurring back injury flared up, and the 21-year-old didn't appear in a single Grapefruit League game and has yet to make his Minor League season debut.
There is good news on the injury front for Miller and the Phillies, though.
President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski said on Wednesday that Miller started swinging a bat again, which is the next step in his progression.
“He’s been making progress, but we’re guiding him through it. Really, it’s no different than it was three weeks ago. We’re guiding him through the process. He keeps making progress. But we’re just doing everything really slowly," said Dombrowski (quote via MLB.com's Todd Zolecki).
As the Phillies exec alluded to, Miller is definitely making progress in the back injury and doing some baseball activities, but it's going to be some time before he gets back to playing in games.
Mar 2, 2025; Dunedin, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies infielder Aidan Miller (81) signs autographs for fans before a game against the Toronto Blue Jays during spring training at TD Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn ImagesDespite a very slow build-up, Dombrowski is still confident that Miller will get back to game action at some point this season.
“We’re just happy with his progress. He’s happy with his progress. We’re with him every single day. We watch him, we treat him. He’s doing good right now. But it’s one of those things. You don’t just go from swinging a bat one day like this, then play in a game today. You’re taking your time.”
Miller has always hit at a high level since he was selected by Philadelphia with the 27th overall pick in 2023, but last year was really a breakout season for the infielder.
At Double-A and a brief stint at Triple-A to finish the season, Miller recorded a .264/.392/.433 slash line, including 27 doubles, two triples, and 14 home runs.
Very early on in the offseason, it felt like Miller could make an impact and be a contributor for the Phillies' big-league roster alongside other elite prospects Andrew Painter and Justin Crawford.
However, with this lingering back injury and slow buildup, an MLB debut in 2027 is already starting to seem more likely for Miller.
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