This story was excerpted from Todd Zolecki’s Phillies Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
SAN FRANCISCO – Finally, Phillies prospect Aidan Miller is swinging a bat again.
It’s been a while. Miller (No. 1 Phillies prospect, No. 20 prospect in MLB) got to Spring Training in February hoping to play well enough at shortstop and third base to push for a midseason promotion from Triple-A Lehigh Valley, if the Phillies had a need. At the very least, he could’ve provided a glimpse of the future, especially with third baseman Alec Bohm becoming a free agent after the season.
But Miller never played.
Miller, 21, has a recurring back issue. He played through back soreness last season, although he didn’t miss games until the end of the IronPigs' season. He missed the Arizona Fall League, which he had been scheduled to play. Miller arrived at Phillies camp in February, presumably healthy. But just before the Phillies played their first Grapefruit League game on Feb. 21, Miller complained of soreness in his lower back.
In early March, Miller flew to Philadelphia for further evaluation.
He didn’t do much the rest of the spring. He just started swinging a bat recently.
“It’s just the next step in his progress,” Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said before Wednesday’s series finale against the Giants at Oracle Park. “It’s step by step daily. I can’t tell you what he did today, for example. But yes, he has started to swing the bat.
“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.”
Nobody is providing a timetable for Miller’s return to Triple-A, which is understandable only in that backs are tricky, this is a recurring issue and there is no reason to rush him until he is absolutely healthy and ready to play.
Dombrowski said he couldn’t say what the Phillies have learned about Miller’s back that has the organization optimistic about his long-term health. He declined to say if Miller received injection therapy to aid in his recovery, citing HIPAA.
“We’re just happy with his progress,” Dombrowski said. “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.”
But the Phillies expect to see Miller play at some point.
“Oh yeah,” Dombrowski said. “For sure, for sure. Oh yes.”
COMPLETE PHILLIES PROSPECT COVERAGE