Phillies prospect Aidan Miller moves up to double A in his return from injury
After playing one game at single-A Clearwater, Miller was starting at shortstop for Reading on Tuesday. A back condition had kept him out since spring training.
Phillies shortstop prospect Aidan Miller took another incremental step forward on Tuesday in his return from his low back condition.
Miller’s rehab assignment was transferred from single-A Clearwater to double-A Reading, where he was scheduled to play seven innings on Tuesday night. The 22-year-old played just one game for the Threshers, going 1-for-2 with a double and a walk on Saturday.
On Tuesday, he was in the Fightin’ Phils lineup at shortstop, hitting No. 3 in the order.
» READ MORE: Ronald Acuña Jr., the Braves’ edition of Bryce Harper, is the latest Philly villain. Which is great
Likely contributing to the decision is the fact that Clearwater’s regular season has already ended, with the Threshers playing their first playoff game on Tuesday. Reading has a week remaining before their postseason begins on Sept. 15, allowing for more regular game action.
But Miller will also be facing a higher level of competition in double A, one that he grew accustomed to in 2025 when he hit .259 with an .809 OPS for the Fightin’ Phils.
Miller is ranked the Phillies’ No. 2 prospect and No. 61 overall by MLB Pipeline, but at one point it looked like 2026 might be a lost season for him. A sore back that bothered him in spring training turned into a diagnosis of discogenic pain and facet inflammation in the lumbar spine, which was ultimately treated with a minimally invasive procedure.
While the initial timeline announced by the Phillies was six to eight weeks to return to games following the June 5 procedure, Miller did not appear in a game until Sept. 5 with the Threshers.
“As far as the long-term effects, positive, negative, I would let the [medical] experts speak to that,” farm director Luke Murton said on Phillies Extra, The Inquirer’s baseball podcast. “But I feel pretty confident, [based on] what we’ve been seeing lately, that he’s on the right trajectory to be with us and be a good player for a long time.”
Limiting Alvarez
The Phillies were surely glad to see the last of Ronald Acuña Jr. — at least, until they head to Atlanta on Friday — after his two home runs against them during the Braves series. But the Astros came to town on Tuesday with another star in tow in designated hitter Yordan Alvarez, who is having a career year.
Alvarez was penciled in Houston’s lineup in the No. 2 spot on Tuesday.
“What’s not the challenge of Yordan?” said interim manager Don Mattingly. “If you look at the numbers, he kind of handles all zones, all pitches. I just think you got to be really careful with him. He’s been this way for a long time. This year seems to be better than ever, but he’s always been a guy that you don’t feel like there’s a lot of places to go. You can’t do the same things over and over with him. He makes adjustments. So yeah, he’s a handful.”
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Alvarez will continue his pursuit of the American League triple crown against the Phillies this series. If he can maintain his hold on the AL lead in batting average (.314), homers (38, tied for first with Tampa’s Junior Caminero), and RBIs (95, tied for first with Baltimore’s Pete Alonso), Alvarez would become baseball’s first winner since Miguel Cabrera in 2012.
Mattingly knows firsthand how difficult of an accomplishment that would be. He never won a triple crown in his 14 seasons playing for the Yankees, but he won the AL batting title in 1984 with a .343 average. In his MVP year in 1985, Mattingly led the AL in RBIs with 145 but finished fourth in homers (35) and third in average (.324).
“It just talks about his year, what he’s kind of balanced in everything, from average to his on-base [percentage], his power, driving in runs when they need him. So yeah, he’s just having a tremendous year,” Mattingly said. “He’s been a great player for me for a long time, and now I think you get a better view of it, because it’s kind of more of a national thing with the triple crown in mind. You see it all the time on the scoreboards and things like that. So yeah, he’s having a great year.”
Extra bases
Infield coach Bobby Dickerson took over duties as the Phillies first base coach on Tuesday as Paco Figueroa is dealing with a hip injury. Figueroa was still in the dugout. ... Cristopher Sánchez (16-5, 2.58 ERA) is scheduled to start Wednesday opposite Astros right-hander Hunter Brown (5-3, 3.31 ERA). ... The Phillies announced that Flyers forward Porter Martone will throw out the first pitch before Thursday’s series finale.
With the minor league season winding down, Phillies farm director Luke Murton returns to Phillies Extra to discuss the state of the system and upcoming changes to his role. He also offers an encouraging update on injured top prospect Aidan Miller. Watch here.
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Previous episodes: Mike Hazen | Tony Gwynn Jr. | Kevin Stocker | Bobby Dickerson | Jim Bowden | John Middleton | Ryan Howard | Dan Baker | Ricky Bottalico | Preston Mattingly
