Aidan Miller Returns to Action With Surprise Saguaros in Arizona Fall League

Aidan Miller is back in uniform, back on the dirt and back to thinking about where he may fit in Philadelphia’s infield. For a player who spent nearly all of the 2026 Minor League season trying to get his back right, that is the real October win.

The Phillies’ No. 2 prospect, ranked No. 59 overall, has joined the Surprise Saguaros in the Arizona Fall League after returning for a brief late-season run at Single-A Clearwater and Double-A Reading. Miller is playing without pain following a difficult year marked by recurring lumbar problems, a diagnosis of discogenic pain and facet inflammation, and a June radiofrequency ablation procedure on his facet joints.

“It was a very long year,” Miller said. “There were setbacks with my back, and I couldn’t get into a good place for a while. But I finally did. I feel great now. I wasn’t sure I’d play this year, so being here and feeling 100 percent again is really nice.”

Small September return, big step forward

Miller’s regular-season appearance list was short, but every game mattered. He played one rehab contest with Clearwater before reporting back to Reading, where he had spent most of 2025. He then appeared in three regular-season games and four postseason games as Reading chased a championship.

The Phillies had hoped to get him back on the field before the year closed, even as Miller wondered whether there would be enough calendar left to build toward game action.

“Our training staff was great and never made me feel like the season was over,” Miller said. “By August, I thought it would be hard to get built back up and return to games. But they always had a plan to get me out there late in the year.”

He said the club accelerated him carefully, targeting roughly three appearances per week. The handful of games gave him a chance to regain timing and contribute during Reading’s postseason push before heading west for more work.

The Fall League assignment had been in the organization’s thinking once Miller began missing time. Philadelphia first wanted to see him finish the season cleanly, without another physical setback.

“Once I got hurt and started losing time, I wanted to get to the Fall League and get more reps,” Miller said.

A new corner in the infield

Miller had played shortstop exclusively during his Minor League career and had earned strong reviews for his defense there. But Reading shifted him to third base during its playoff run, with breakout prospect Bryan Rincon taking over at short.

That move is continuing in Arizona. Miller will work only at third base for Surprise, giving Philadelphia a longer look at a position that could become more open if Alec Bohm is no longer part of the major league picture in 2027.

“I haven’t had many games at third in pro ball,” Miller said. “So it’s about learning the position, getting at-bats and getting the feel for everything again. I have a good maintenance routine, and we have a really good staff. I feel good.”

Before the injury interrupted his momentum, Miller had begun to look much more like himself late in 2025. After struggling through much of his first Double-A season, he hit .356/.491/.607 across his final 36 games, including a week at Triple-A.

He believes the turnaround came from adapting to Double-A’s daily grind, easing off the pressure and returning to a simpler approach.

“It was tough because I finished the previous year so well and wanted to carry that into Spring Training,” Miller said. “That stretch at the end of the year is closer to the player I believe I am. I learned how to handle playing every day, figured out what worked, and got back to just playing ball and enjoying it. I felt that again in the games I got this year.”

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For Miller, the Arizona assignment is less about making up every lost inning at once than taking the next clean step: play third base, take his at-bats, stay healthy and leave the desert with his game again moving forward.