Phillies Make Six More Spring Cuts, Including Top Prospect

The Phillies' spring training cuts continued on Thursday morning as they reassigned six players to minor-league camp: two right-handed pitchers, three catching depth pieces and the headliner of the group, top prospect Aidan Miller.

Three of the six are dealing with injury and haven't been in Grapefruit League games.

SS Aidan Miller

Miller, 21, was looking forward to a productive camp and would have played a lot early in spring training if he was healthy. But lower back soreness prevented him from participating and the shortstop hasn't progressed especially quickly. He isn't ready for game action and the Phillies are moving slowly and cautiously with a player who they hope will be a huge part of their future.

Miller dealt with lower back soreness last September and missed the final weekend of the Triple A season, then did not participate in the Arizona Fall League as he was expected to do. He thought the issue had subsided but felt it again after reporting to Clearwater.

"It went away for a little bit," he said at the end of February. "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."

Miller made those comments two weeks ago at his locker in the corner of the Phillies' spring training clubhouse, where he was positioned next to Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, J.T. Realmuto and Kyle Schwarber to help him absorb the work ethic of big-league veterans. In the time since, he was sent back to Philadelphia to visit the team doctor and then flew back down to Clearwater.

"We don't have a timeline," manager Rob Thomson told reporters, including MLB.com, on Sunday. "I mean, he hasn't swung a bat in two weeks, so we just want to get him healthy to where there's no pain and get him back playing again."

Miller would have opened the season as the starting shortstop at Triple A but is instead a candidate to stay back in Clearwater for extended spring training when the Lehigh Valley IronPigs' season begins on March 27. He'll need at least a couple weeks' worth of at-bats, his own de facto spring training.

As for the other five spring cuts made on Thursday:

RHP Michael Mercado

The 26-year-old, lanky right-hander has not pitched at all in camp because of a shoulder issue. Mercado appeared in five games with the Phillies in 2024 and seven in 2025, all as a reliever.

His first two major-league outings went well in the summer of '24 — a scoreless inning in Detroit followed by five innings of bulk relief at Wrigley Field during which he allowed one run on two hits.

Mercado's last 10 major-league appearances, though, have been ugly with 18 earned runs and 10 homers allowed in 10 innings. His fastball is firm but has too often been straight and lacked command.

Even if healthy, Mercado would have been a distant bullpen candidate for one of the Phillies' final two relief jobs. If/when he gets healthy, he figures to join the Triple-A bullpen. Mercado is looking to recapture his form from 2024, when he was the IronPigs' pitcher of the year after delivering a 2.07 ERA in 70 innings.

RHP Andrew Bechtold

Bechtold, who turns 30 on April 18, was an infielder from 2017 when the Minnesota Twins drafted him until 2024, when he became a full-time pitcher. He signed with the Phillies last January and spent most of 2025 at Double-A Reading, striking out 53 in 38 innings with a 4.26 ERA.

Like Mercado, Bechtold was in camp as a non-roster invitee.

Removing three catchers

Teams open spring training with a ton of catching depth because the last thing you want is your starting catcher (or even his projected backup) playing every day or catching full games in early March.

The Phillies began camp with eight and removed three from their spring roster on Thursday.

C Caleb Ricketts

Ricketts, 25, was in camp for the second straight year as a non-roster invitee. He started and finished last season at Double-A, where he hit .256/.303/.399 in 238 plate appearances. The Phillies drafted him out of the University of San Diego in 2022.

C Kehden Hettiger

Hettiger, 21, was an 11th-round pick in the 2023 draft and was rated by Baseball America last season as the best defensive catcher in the Phillies' minor-league system. He hit .218/.322/.365 last season in 100 games, 85 of which came with High-A Jersey Shore. Hettiger was 2-for-9 in camp with a double, homer and two walks.

C Mark Kolozsvary

Kolozsvary, who is viewed as a solid defensive catcher, has 11 games of big-league experience with the Reds and Orioles, none since 2023. He did not play at all in camp and has hit just .213 in 1,401 minor-league plate appearances.

Left in camp

The Phillies have 58 players left in camp. Their five remaining catchers are J.T. Realmuto, Rafael Marchan, Garrett Stubbs, Rene Pinto and Paul McIntosh.

Six of the 58 players — Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Brad Keller, Cristopher Sanchez, Aaron Nola and Dante Nori — are still with their teams in the World Baseball Classic for the USA, Dominican Republic and Italy.

Two others, first baseman Keaton Anthony and reliever Max Lazar, are dealing with injury.