The Philadelphia Phillies have a lot of questions to resolve with their roster this offseason.

At the top of their to-do list is upgrading the outfield, but there are a lot of question marks with the infield. Alec Bohm, a starter at third base and first base, Luis Arraez, their starter at second base, and Edmundo Sosa, who is a utility player who played shortstop and third base.

Replacing that much depth and production will not be easy given how many other needs the team has on the roster. While external additions will assuredly be part of the plan, the team could use some answers internally.

One player who fans would love to pencil into the Opening Day roster is Aidan Miller, a top prospect in the organization. However, in an update from the MLB General Managers’ Meetings by Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports, Miller is reportedly not someone the team is going to count on being ready to contribute in the Big Leagues right away.

Aidan Miller reportedly has more development to do

“The Phillies informed several agents they don’t believe prized infield prospect Aidan Miller will be ready to be an everyday player at the outset of next season, and will need more time in the minor leagues,” Nightengale wrote.

That is certainly not what anyone was expecting to hear coming out of the GM Meetings, even after Miller missed nearly the entire 2026 season because of a back injury. It also contradicts comments that Dave Dombrowski recently made about the star shortstop.

Had he been healthy during spring training this past year, there is a good chance he would have forced his way into the mix at the Major League level, especially with the struggles of some of the veteran infielders, such as Trea Turner.

Could this be some gamesmanship from the Phillies to try and keep other organizations from asking about Miller in trade talks? As long as he is healthy, he certainly looks the part of one of the best infielders in the organization, someone who can help the team win at the highest level.

In 2025, he was excellent with 14 home runs, 27 doubles, two triples and 59 stolen bases between Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He was ready to take that next step, but being limited to only four games during the minor league season could have certainly set him back.

Miller has been participating in the Arizona Fall League, getting as many reps as possible to make up for lost time. He isn’t facing the toughest pitching there, but he is producing at a nice level with a .327/.557/.481 slash line, drawing 25 walks in 16 games and striking out only 16 times.

At this point, staying healthy is the most important thing for the star prospect. If he can do that and continue to work during the winter, there is no reason he cannot exceed the expectations Philadelphia shared with other franchises in Las Vegas.