Aidan Miller is one of the top prospects in the Phillies organization. (Cheryl Pursell)
CLEARWATER, Fla. — While he doesn't appear to be a candidate to make the Opening Day roster, Aidan Miller will be one of the most interesting Phillies players to watch during Spring Training.
A first-round pick in 2023, Miller spent the bulk of last season with Double-A Reading, before a late-season promotion to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He finished the campaign with an .825 OPS and 59 stolen bases, which has prospect experts gung ho about Miller entering 2026.
But while Miller has managed to stick at shortstop to this point — and there's really no reason to think he couldn't play there in the majors — the Phillies have the opposite of a vacancy at shortstop. Trea Turner is entering the fourth season of an 11-year/$300 million deal. Not only did he win the NL batting title last season, but completed an improbable defensive turnaround, finishing with two defensive runs saved and 16 outs above average. At least in the immediate future, Turner isn't moving off of shortstop.
So for Miller to be in play at the Major League level in 2026, it will likely have to come at a position other than shortstop.
That makes it interested that Wednesday Rob Thomson said that the bulk of Miller's work this spring will come between shortstop and third base.
"Yeah, so it's going to be shortstop and third base," Thomson said of the plan for Miller this spring. "He's going to get a lot of playing time with all these guys going to the WBC, so just get a look at him. He looks good right now. He looks good at third base. He's getting plenty of ground balls in both spots. Might get him a little work at second base, but it's gonna be mainly shortstop, third base."
With Turner, barring injury, likely entrenched at shortstop, this will open up the door for speculation about how committed the Phillies are to Alec Bohm, who was a trade candidate for the second consecutive offseason and is entering his contract year. At the same time, Bohm may be the cleanup hitter on Opening Day, so it would seem to be a strange dynamic to set things up where if Miller needs to play shortstop or third base if he's promoted. The Phillies could trade Bohm before the Aug. 3 trade deadline if Miller proves ready to take over at third base, but what if Miller is pushing for a promotion in mid-May?
Thomson did leave open the door for Miller to get some reps at second base this spring, and perhaps if he's pushing for a promotion and Bohm is playing well, the Phillies could really ramp up the 21-year-old's reps at second base with Triple-A Lehigh Valley before a call-up. It's mildly surprising the Phillies won't have Miller split time between third and second base this spring, though they do project to have a seemingly strong platoon at second with Bryson Stott and Edmundo Sosa currently.
One spot that Phillies fans shouldn't expect to see Miller during Grapefruit League play is in left field. With uncertainty in the outfield, there has been some speculation recently about the possibility of trying Miller in left field. It's not outlandish to think a middle infielder with speed could handle left field, particularly at Citizens Bank Park. But Thomson shot down the idea of Miller in left field on Wednesday.
Up close look at the 2026 Spring Training cap for the Phillies. Cool hat, but definitely thought it was the Phanatic next to the P from a distance. pic.twitter.com/oXgZFjtoxV
