According to a report by Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Phillies top position player prospect Aidan Miller may be nearing a return to game action after missing the entire 2026 season with a back condition. Lauber’s story is based on comments from Phillies Luke Murton, who recently moved from being the Phillies director of player development to their Assistant GM, Hitting. Murton is the guest on this week’s Phillies Extra, The Inquirer’s baseball podcast hosted by Lauber.
Murton told Lauber that Miller is “progressing very well” and hinted that a return could be coming soon, saying he did not want to overpromise but that “there may be a surprise in the near future.”
Miller underwent a spinal procedure on June 5 to relieve recurring low back pain, and the Phillies had originally targeted a six to eight week timeline to return to game activity. Instead, Lauber notes, Miller only resumed full baseball activities, including hitting, last month. Murton described the caution around Miller’s timeline as intentional, telling Lauber that Miller wants to be on the field but understands the big picture with a long career ahead of him, adding that Miller is “moving as good as I’ve ever seen him.”
Lauber’s report lays out several scenarios for Miller’s return before the minor league season wraps up, including a potential appearance with Single-A Clearwater in the Florida State League playoffs, or with Double-A Reading if the Fightin Phils secure a second half title and a postseason berth in the Eastern League. Lauber also notes the Phillies could opt to send Miller to the Arizona Fall League, which begins October 3. Miller was going to play in the AFL last year, but was pulled at the last minute in favor of Bryan Rincon because of the lingering back pain. Rincon has gone on to hit 22 home runs this season and was recently named the Phillies Minor League Player of the Month for August.
Miller, the 27th overall pick in the 2023 draft, was diagnosed with discogenic pain and facet inflammation in his lumbar spine after seeing multiple spine specialists, and underwent what the team called a minimally invasive radiofrequency ablation procedure. Murton told Lauber he feels confident Miller is on track to be a good player for the Phillies long term, though he deferred to medical experts on any lasting effects.
The full episode of Phillies Extra, per Lauber’s report, becomes available Friday on inquirer.com, The Inquirer’s YouTube channel, and via Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
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