Aidan Miller Trying to Keep Mind From Spiraling While Dealing With Back Injury

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Phillies top prospect Aidan Miller knew he was unlikely to make the team out of camp even with a strong showing, but this is still a big spring for a player who might be able to contribute in the major leagues later this season and certainly next.

Nearly a week into Grapefruit League games, though, he has yet to appear because of lower back soreness.

The 21-year-old shortstop doesn't know how he initially injured the back, he just woke up one morning this month feeling tight and it didn't go away on its own.

"It wasn't anything on the field, it was just super tight," he said at his locker at BayCare Ballpark Thursday afternoon. "Tried coming into the training room and calming it down and it wasn't getting anywhere. We decided to take a couple of days off and now I'm kind've building back."

Miller is back in the weight room, manager Rob Thomson said Wednesday. But the Phillies are obviously taking it slow with such a major piece of their future.

"Just taking it day by day, listen to the training staff and see what they've got for me each day," he said. "I feel like I'm in a better spot than I was. It's getting better."

The Phillies have not provided a timetable for when Miller will get into a game this spring. He admits that he got into his own head a bit at first but is trying to stay in the moment.

"It's definitely frustrating, I feel like this is a pretty big camp. I still think I'm going to get into some games towards the end," he said. "Just really trying to stay present, my mind's been spiraling a little bit like, 'When am I going to get into games, is it going to be next week, the week after?' But I'm trying to be the best I can and get better every day."

Miller dealt with a similar injury late last season and did not play the final weekend of the season at Triple A with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. He also did not participate in the Arizona Fall League, pulling out the first week of October because of what the Phillies described at the time as "some nagging things physically."

"Towards the end of the year last year, kind've a similar thing," Miller said. "It went away for a little bit. I thought it was gone and it came back a little bit. Structurally, there's nothing wrong there. I think swinging a bat 100,000 times a year will put a little bit of a toll on it. I think it's just finding a routine that helps me prevent flareups in the future. I'm not worried about it at all."

The first person to reveal Miller's injury was actually Bryce Harper during an in-game interview on the Phillies' broadcast this past Sunday.

"Yeah, if Miller could get off his butt and get in the game, that would be nice," Harper joked to Tom McCarthy and Ruben Amaro Jr. "I'm just kidding, Aidan, I'm just kidding buddy. But I need him to get healthy because he can help us by the end, obviously."

Miller, who hit .264 with a .392 on-base percentage at Double A and Triple A, doesn't use social media so he didn't see the clip at first. He's off of Twitter and hasn't posted to Instagram since October 2024.

"It's pretty cool," he said. "I don't have Twitter or anything so my dad sent me it, I was like that's pretty cool that he's talking about me on the broadcast.

"Really as soon as I got into pro ball, I tried to eliminate (social media) a little bit. There's so much outside noise that I don't feel like is good for anybody, good and bad. I just try to be present and not let other peoples' opinions affect how I go about my day. I fell into that trap a little bit, it's easy to being a young guy.

"But that's the goal. I want to get there and I want to win with these guys and win a World Series. I've got to get healthy, get in some games and show the coaching staff and front office what I've got, try to make a good impression."