'I feel great now': Healthy Miller headlines Phillies contingent in Fall League

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- There are changes afoot for Aidan Miller and where he might find a home in Philadelphia’s infield, but before getting to that, a moment is needed just to celebrate his return to the field where things like future defensive home matter once again.

When he’d get to that point in 2026 was never certain for the No. 59 prospect in baseball as recurring back issues that kept Miller from playing in the Arizona Fall League last year sidelined him for nearly all of the regular Minor League season. He eventually was diagnosed with discogenic pain and facet inflammation in the lumbar spine and had a procedure called a radiofrequency ablation of the facet joints in June. He did return for a handful of games at the very end of the regular season, and he’s now suiting up, pain-free, for the Surprise Saguaros in the desert.

“It was a really long year,” the Phillies’ No. 2 prospect said. “I had a couple of setbacks with the back and couldn't really get into a good spot and then finally did, and I feel great now. I didn't know if I'd be playing this year and to be where I'm at right now feeling 100 percent, kind of feel like myself again, it's really nice.”

Never has eight Minor League games seemed so important. Miller played one rehab game with Single-A Clearwater then returned to Double-A Reading, where he spent the bulk of the 2025 season. Three games in the regular season and four more during a playoff run set the stage for him to head to Arizona with a full head of steam after he relied on the Phillies to assure him he’d play baseball this year.

“We have a great training staff and they really never put it in my head that I'd be done for the whole year,” Miller said. “In my own head I was like, ‘It's August now, it's going to be tough to get back and build up, to get back to games,’ but they always had it in the back of their heads, ‘Hey, we're going to get this guy some games in for the rest of the year.

“It was only about seven games, including the playoffs, but to still get some time in and play for a championship in Double-A was pretty cool. They pushed me to play three a week and my progression was pretty fast, so it was nice to end the year kind of where I wanted to be and just get some games in under my belt and the feel for the game again.”

While Miller’s official addition to the Fall League roster was fairly last minute, he was expected all along to get more games in here. The organization just wanted to make sure he handled the end of the season without any setbacks.

“It was always a plan, I think since I got hurt and started missing some time, I was like, ‘Hey, I kind of want to go out there to the Fall League, get some more reps in,’” Miller said.

Though he’s not played a lot of baseball this year, the 22-year-old infielder does think he’s rediscovering the groove he found late in 2025. Miller struggled for much of the season at Double-A, but after four months of searching and making adjustments, he got locked in at the beginning of August, hitting .356/.491/.607 over his last 36 games that included a week in Triple-A, making the injury setback all the more frustrating.

“I think that's what made it really tough, too, was I ended the year so well and I wanted to come into Spring Training kind of continuing off that success,” Miller said. “I feel like that's more of the player that I am compared to the first half of that year.

“I think it was just getting used to Double-A, getting used to really playing every single day and finding what works, just going out there being myself, not putting too much pressure on myself, and just going playing ball and having fun. I definitely feel like I'm back to that, and I could feel it in those games I played this year.”

After getting his feet wet with a few games at shortstop, where he had played exclusively in his Minor League career and exceeded expectations defensively, Miller slid over to third base during Reading’s playoff run as Phillies breakout prospect Bryan Rincon manned short. Miller is only going to be playing the hot corner this fall, with the Phillies perhaps thinking about what could be an Alec Bohm-sized hole in Philadelphia in 2027.

“I haven't played many games over there in pro ball, so learning a new position and ultimately just getting at-bats and getting the feel again,” Miller listed as his priorities this fall. “I have a good maintenance program, we have a good staff, so I feel really good.”

Phillies hitters in the Fall League

Aroon Escobar, 2B/3B (No. 6): After a bit of a breakout in 2025 that took him up to Double-A, Escobar never really got going in a return to Reading this past season. He finished with a .679 OPS with 12 homers and 27 stolen bases. He makes a ton of contact, but didn’t do as much damage this past season. Rule 5-eligible this offseason, Escobar has mostly played second and third with the Phillies, but saw some time at first base early on in Fall League action.

Dante Nori, OF (No. 7): A return participant in the Fall League, Nori looked poised to have a breakout season in 2026, but a hairline hip fracture sidelined him for more than two months. He returned to help Reading win the Eastern League title and he’s in Arizona to get some much-needed injury-free at-bats and reps in center field for the Surprise Saguaros.

Luke Davis, C: After bouncing around the junior college scene, Davis put up big numbers at Long Beach City College in 2024 (.373/.555/.727 in 45 games) to earn a free-agent contract with the Phillies after that summer’s Draft. The switch-hitting backstop missed much of the 2026 season due to injury and is actually playing for Scottsdale, not Surprise, as the Fall League needed some help with catching depth. He sports a .683 OPS over 126 games in his pro career.

Kehden Hettiger, C: While his production as a pro has been modest at best and he hit just .191/.317/.348 over 61 games at Double-A this past season, Hettiger does possess some raw power from the left side. That, plus his tendency to not chase and elevate balls in the air, give him some offensive upside. Still only 22, his defensive metrics behind the plate are also outstanding.

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Phillies pitchers in the Fall League

Keegan Batka, RHP: Batka spent a couple of seasons starting for Central Michigan before finishing up as a redshirt senior at Division II Davenport in 2025. The Phillies noticed his success and signed him as a non-drafted free agent. Coming out of the 'pen in his first full season, Batka pitched his way to Double-A and finished with a 3.14 ERA, 12.0 K/9 rate and seven saves. He misses a lot of bats mostly with a fastball up to 96 mph and a mid-80s slider.

Ryan Dromboski, RHP: The Ivy League Pitcher of the Year at Penn as a sophomore in 2023, Dromboski signed as a non-drafted free agent after his junior season with the Quakers in 2024. After initial success in 2025 (2.69 ERA in 80 1/3 IP), he wasn’t as effective this past season (5.56 ERA in 81 IP), though he did touch Double-A. He has a below-average fastball, but leans much more heavily on his upper-70s slider and low-80s changeup.

Estibenzon Jimenez, RHP: Signed for just $10,000 back in 2019, Jimenez moved very slowly through the Phillies system, developing mostly as a starter. A full-time move to the bullpen in 2026 was very successful as he spent most of the year with Double-A Reading, finishing with a 2.38 ERA, 10.1 K/9 rate and .207 BAA. He loves throwing his upper-80s slider (39 percent miss rate in 2026) and can run his fastball up to 98 mph.

Andrew Walling, LHP: Walling had Tommy John surgery in his senior year of high school, returning to throw a handful of relief innings at Oregon State in 2019. After the COVID shutdown, he went the JUCO route, pitching for Eastern Oklahoma State College in 2021 before moving on to Mississippi State. He signed with the Phillies as a non-drafted free agent in 2022 and has had some moderate success as a sinker-slider-type reliever who has reached Triple-A, though he missed much of the 2026 season with elbow issues.

Kevin Warunek, LHP: A reliever out of Longwood University, Warunek was selected by the Phillies in the 18th round of the 2024 Draft. He had a solid first full season across two levels of A ball in 2025, and while he did touch Double-A briefly this year, elbow trouble only allowed him to appear in 17 games this past season. He features a low-90s fastball with some sink that can touch 95-96 and a low-80s slider.