PHILADELPHIA -- Phillies top prospect Aidan Miller will undergo a procedure on Friday to address his recurring back issue.
After months of touch-and-go rehab, Miller was diagnosed with discogenic pain and facet inflammation in the lumbar spine. In Miller's most recent visits with spine specialists, they recommended a minimally invasive procedure called a radiofrequency ablation of the facet joints.
A radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a procedure that uses heat to destroy tissue in order to prevent pain signals from being sent back to the brain. According to the Cleveland Clinic, RFA is a treatment option that is often considered for long-term pain conditions that have not been remedied through other treatment methods.
“It’s supposed to fix the issue," president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said prior to Wednesday night's game against the Padres at Citizens Bank Park. "So, we'll wait and we'll see."
COMPLETE PHILLIES PROSPECT COVERAGE
Following Friday's procedure, Miller is expected to rest for one week before resuming his rehab program. The Phillies said they expect the infielder to return to game activity in six to eight weeks.
Miller, who turns 22 years old next Tuesday, is not only the Phillies' No. 1 prospect but MLB Pipeline's No. 15 prospect overall. There was hope coming into the year that he could potentially break into the big leagues by the end of the season, though Wednesday's update would seem to put that in serious jeopardy.
"At that point, if that [timeline] works out -- and hopefully it does -- then you say, ‘OK, well, he plays in August. If that works, then you go to the Arizona Fall League, and you get some more at-bats,’" Dombrowski said. "That's the best-case scenario."
So does that close the door on any chance of Miller reaching the Majors this season?
"I'd say it's hard. If he doesn't start playing until Aug. 1, that'd be very difficult," Dombrowski said. "But I can't say, because if he comes back in six weeks and tears the cover off the ball, you never can tell. But that's not really even the top of our mind at this point. It’s just, ‘Let's get him healthy.’"
Even if Miller indeed resumes game activity in two months, he would essentially be starting from scratch after missing nearly all of Spring Training. Given the nature of his injury and his status as the club's top prospect, the Phillies certainly won't push him this season.
"I feel terrible for him, really," Dombrowski said. "He wants to play, he's young, he's talented, he's driven. I'm sure he's exasperated because he gets to that point that he thinks he's going to be OK and get out there and play, and he keeps getting there, and then just can't quite get over the hump."
Miller played through back soreness last year, though it didn't cost him any time until the very end of the season. He ultimately missed the Arizona Fall League, which he had been scheduled to play in.
Miller then arrived at camp in February, presumably healthy and in a position to potentially impact the Phillies roster this summer if the team had a need. Given Philadelphia's lack of production from its right-handed hitters this season, he may have gotten a look by now.
"It's not ideal, because I mean there was a thought process in our own mind that he could play in the big leagues this year and help us," Dombrowski said. "When you look at all the young players in baseball that are playing well this year at the big league level, he's as talented as they are. So yeah, it's a setback, but those are the type of things you have to deal with."
At the very least, Miller could have continued providing a glimpse of the franchise's future, especially with third baseman Alec Bohm set to become a free agent after the season.
But just before the start of Grapefruit League play on Feb. 21, Miller complained of soreness in his lower back. It had been slow going ever since. Miller had started -- and then stopped -- baseball activities multiple times over the past couple months.
The most recent such instance came in mid-May, when interim manager Don Mattingly said that Miller had resumed "light baseball activities." But that did not last very long, with Miller then spending the past couple weeks visiting with specialists to seek further clarification on the ongoing issue.
The hope is Friday's procedure finally makes that happen.
"We've been very close numerous times to, we think, getting out there and taking the next step -- he just has not been able to quite get to that point," Dombrowski said. "And so, he's seen specialists throughout the last three months, but they feel that this is the logical next step.”