The Philadelphia Phillies are entering a crucial offseason. Key players are set to hit free agency, but the roster is still talented enough to compete for a World Series in 2026.
As long as Bryce Harper is on the Phillies’ roster, the organization will do everything in its power to field a competitive team year in and year out. The core group from the previous four seasons may get split up this offseason, which means it’s more important than ever to plan for the future.
New wrinkle could put Aidan Miller on fast track to big leagues to shake up Phillies' infield
Aidan Miller, the Phillies’ No. 2 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, is stashed behind a crowded infield at the major league level. Miller has primarily been used at shortstop, but the Phillies have an All-Star-caliber shortstop in Trea Turner, who’s signed through 2033 with a full no-trade clause.
“Aidan Miller, going into this season, we thought he might be able to play shortstop, but we weren't sure just based on his size, and he hadn’t been with us that long,” Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said about Miller’s value within the organization during his end-of-season press conference on Thursday. “There came no question when I talk to people in our organization, they feel he can play shortstop. Of course, we have an All-Star shortstop at this point.”
Dombrowski, interestingly, brought up the fact that Miller can play either second or third base in addition to shortstop.
“He could play other positions, I don’t have any question about that,” Dombrowski said about Miller’s versatility. “… He’s played some second, he’s played some third, but he’s primarily been a shortstop, so we’d have to make sure that we properly prepared him to do that … he’s a really good player and a really good athlete, and he can hit.”
The Phillies drafted Miller 27th overall in the 2023 MLB Draft. He quickly made his way through the Phillies’ system, reaching Double-A by the end of the 2024 season.
Miller started the 2025 season in Double-A and struggled to adjust at the plate. The 21-year-old was hitting .217 through July 26 before catching fire in the final months of the season.
Miller hit .348 with 17 extra-base hits and 16 RBI in August and improved his batting average to .259 by Sept. 7. He was playing so well that he earned a late-season promotion to Triple-A, where he hit .333 in 27 at-bats with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.
Alec Bohm and Bryson Stott are still under team control, but the Phillies’ third and second basemen haven’t shown enough to prove to the organization that they’re the long-term answers at their respective positions. Miller will likely start 2026 at Triple-A, but he could force either Bohm or Stott out of their roles when he’s ready to make his MLB debut.