The Philadelphia Phillies opened their Grapefruit League home slate on Sunday, and fans listening to Bryce Harper’s in-dugout interview may have been surprised when he casually mentioned that top prospect Aidan Miller isn’t fully healthy.
Miller, ranked as the Phillies’ No. 1 prospect by MLB Pipeline and No. 23 overall, has generated significant buzz early in camp. The young shortstop is widely viewed as a candidate to make his MLB debut later this season, and many expected to see him in action as spring training games began over the weekend.
His absence from Saturday’s road lineup in Dunedin against the Toronto Blue Jays raised some eyebrows. While fellow top prospect Justin Crawford made his first start and turned heads, it seemed like an ideal moment for Miller to get some early reps.
The reason soon became clear. After Harper’s comment, manager Rob Thomson addressed the situation following Sunday’s 4-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. According to MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki, Miller is dealing with back soreness, prompting the team to take a cautious approach. If he had been fully healthy, he would have played in Dunedin.
Zolecki reported that Miller mentioned the discomfort one morning recently, though Thomson does not believe the issue occurred during game action. Although Miller was hit by a pitch in live batting practice last week, it wasn’t in the back, though there’s a chance he could have tweaked something while avoiding it.
With camp still in its early stages, there’s ample time for the 21-year-old to recover and ease into game action. The Phillies are in no rush, opting instead to prioritize treatment and caution. Miller is expected to see time at both shortstop and third base this spring and is projected as a future replacement for Alec Bohm at third — whether that transition happens this year or next remains uncertain.
