Phillies Insider Reveals Brutal Outlook for Aidan Miller

Heading into Spring Training, the Philadelphia Phillies were hoping that top prospect Aidan Miller would compete for the starting third base job.

A shortstop in the minor leagues, Miller wouldn't be able to start at his natural position for the Phillies' big-league club due to the presence of Trea Turner. But replacing Alec Bohm at the hot corner was always an option.

Until it wasn't.

Miller was nursing a back injury in the spring that kept him out of exhibition action. At the time, it didn't appear to be anything too serious. It just seemed like a setback.

Six months later, Miller has not played a single game in 2026, and it's looking more and more like we won't see him until 2027.

This has created significant complications for Philadelphia, and Matt Gelb of The Athletic outlined them in a recent piece.

"Nothing was guaranteed for Miller before the injury, but the Phillies thought he could infuse some newness at some point in 2026. Now, no one knows," Gelb wrote. "The Miller injury has long-term implications. It will affect how the organization approaches the offseason; the Phillies can’t assume Miller will contribute in 2027. It is an unfortunate situation for everyone."

Bohm and trade deadline acquisition Luis Arraez are both slated to hit free agency at year's end. If Philadelphia re-signs neither player (which is a distinct possibility), its infield will consist of Bryce Harper at first base, Bryson Stott (who moved to third to accommodate Arraez) at second and Turner at short. Third base would be a big hole.

The chances of the Phillies retaining Bohm seem slim. He has been a massive disappointment, and he has been floated in trade speculation incessantly for the last couple of years. He owns a .647 OPS this season and is subpar defensively. He's gone.

Philadelphia would surely love to try Miller as Bohm's replacement. But that's looking less and less probable now that the 22-year-old is now a year behind schedule.

Miller played in 116 games between Double-A and Triple-A in 2025, slashing .264/.392/.433 with 14 home runs and 42 RBI. His elite plate discipline was evident, and he also stole 59 bases in 74 attempts.

The bulk of Miller's 2025 production came at Double-A, as he played just eight games for Lehigh Valley. The Phillies would almost certainly prefer to get him some more time at Triple-A after missing an entire campaign.

Is there a chance that Miller could make the major-league squad out of Spring Training next year? Yes, but it seems rather unlikely given that he probably won't pick up a bat at all here in 2026.

It's definitely a disastrous situation for Philadelphia.