Losing out on Bo Bichette to the New York Mets stung. The realization that the Philadelphia Phillies actually agreed to the star shortstop-turned-third-baseman's lofty seven-year, $200 million contract demands and still got rejected in favor of a short-term, opt-out-laden contract was salt in the wound. The lone silver lining was that top prospect Aidan Miller could fill the void. That might no longer be the case.
Signing Bichette would've meant free-agent-to-be Alec Bohm getting shipped out of town. When that fell through, the plan shifted to Miller making a push for the third base job in 2027. Philadelphia's No. 1 prospect hoped to be on track to get his feet wet later on this year to set up that vision for the future.
However, the soon-to-be 22-year-old's balky back has put all of that in jeopardy. The soreness cropped up last year. Then it caused him to miss the Arizona Fall League action that was scheduled for him. And then it cost him spring training. And now, it's casting more doubt despite some cautiously optimistic updates.
Dave Dombroski's vague Aiden Miller update has Phillies fans lamenting the loss of Bo Bichette again
The good news is that Miller's begun swinging. The bad news is everything else Dave Dombroski had to say about his road back.
"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," Dombroski said last week. “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.”
Progress is good, but the phrase "really slowly" isn't what you'd like to hear. It makes it sound as if these are more moral victories that Miller has achieved than actual steps on the road back from what's become a mysterious back ailment for the youngster. MLB insider Tom Verducci of Sports lllustrated reiterated on The Baseball Insiders podcast this week that it could be months for Miller, not weeks.
"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.”
Dombroski refused to provide any additional information regarding the treatment that Miller has received, citing HIPAA regulations. While understandable, it's hard not to feel like other organizations have traditionally been more transparent. Though, to be fair, it's also important to respect any player's privacy, especially one as young as Miller.
Still, the update essentially boils down to he'll be back. Eventually. At some point. Hopefully. Being cautious with such a prized asset makes sense, but at a certain point, we want answers. Miller is the Bichette Plan B. There's still time, but the clock is ticking.
To be fair, Bichette has struggled thus far with the Mets, and some believe that his knee injury from last season still hasn't fully healed, so the Phillies might not actually be missing out on much.
Still, it would bring a lot of solace to the Phillies faithful if we knew when Miller was coming back, what his prognosis is, or even just had a little more detail about his injury. Unfortunately, we're still in the dark, and that's enough to have reason for some serious concern until we see some more concrete progress.
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