Phillies top prospect Miller (back) 'moving in the right direction'

PHILADELPHIA -- Aidan Miller appears to be making some progress with his nagging back injury.

“Aidan Miller is beginning to do light baseball activity,” interim manager Don Mattingly said prior to Tuesday's game against the Reds at Citizens Bank Park.

Does that mean he's swinging a bat?

“Light baseball activities," Mattingly repeated. "So, we're moving in the right direction."

Though it obviously wasn't much, any update on the club's top prospect is notable at this point.

Miller, 21, played through back soreness last season, though it didn't cost him any time until the very end of the season. He slashed .259/.382/.427 with 13 homers and 52 stolen bases in 108 games with Double-A Reading before hitting .333 (9-for-27) with one homer and seven steals in a brief eight-game stint with Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Miller ultimately missed the Arizona Fall League, which he had been scheduled to play. He then arrived at Phillies camp in February, presumably healthy and in a position to potentially impact the big league roster at some point this season. But just before the start of Grapefruit League play on Feb. 21, Miller complained of soreness in his lower back.

It's been a slow process ever since, and there remains no timetable for Miller’s return. His progress has been very slow, although everybody has indicated he is doing well. He had been taking ground balls and doing rotational exercises until recently stopping all baseball activities.

It's unclear whether there was any type of setback or if the Phillies were simply slowing down Miller’s rehab work as they continue to take a highly conservative approach to his recovery.

Either way, Miller seems to once again be trending in the right direction.