Phillies odds and ends: Aidan Miller still off the field, Zack Wheeler throws

The 21-year-old, who now sits at the top of the Phillies’ pipeline with other key prospects Justin Crawford and Andrew Painter set to make the team, has missed nearly all of this spring with a back issue that, as of Monday, is still keeping him away from baseball activities, per Phillies Nation’s Ty Daubert.

Miller, the Phillies’ first-round pick from the 2023 draft, looked like he would soon be knocking on the door of potentially taking over third base for the big-league club with Alec Bohm heading into a contract year.

Miller worked his way up to Triple-A Lehigh Valley by the end of the last season, and through a small eight-game sample size, he went 9-for-27 at the plate, with a homer, two doubles, nine walks, a 1.033 OPS, and seven stolen bases.

If he was able to play this spring, Miller might’ve put a bit of heat on the heels of Bohm. 

Now, though, the Phillies are taking their time and exercising caution with one of their key future pieces.

Said Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski down in Clearwater about Miller’s situation (via Daubert): “He continues to work out. Not much baseball…He’s running, jogging, doing those types of things. A very slow progress — purposely. We’re doing that with him.”

Miller was a non-roster spring training invite. He has since been returned to the minors, and did fly back up to Philadelphia earlier in the month to have his back looked at by a team doctor, per MLB.com’s Paul Casella.

A couple of other quick Phillies notes with Spring Training wrapping up…

Wheels turning

Zack Wheeler threw a simulated game Monday morning, per The Athletic’s Matt Gelb, where the veteran right-hander threw 29 pitches to lower-level minor leaguers.

Wheeler pitched two innings and threw 29 pitches, per Gelb, and really started leaning into his stuff with the last frame.

Wheeler will be at Citizens Bank Park later this week for the Phillies’ Opening Day festivities, Gelb added.

That’s some substantial progress for Wheeler, who had last season derailed by a blood clot diagnosis and then ensuing surgery to address thoracic outlet syndrome. Wheeler won’t be ready for right at the start of the 2026 season, but all signs right now point to him being able to pitch again sometime early this spring.

And that he’ll be in Philadelphia, and presumably in uniform, for when the Phillies take their walk through Ashburn Alley and on to the field at Citizens Bank Park this Thursday will surely attract a roar from the fans.

Wheeler, even though his season was over by that point, was still introduced in uniform ahead of the NLDS at Citizens Bank Park last October, and was cheered by the 45,000 in the seats as he ran out from the dugout and made his way down the handshake line of coaches, trainers, and teammates.

The club, and the Philly faithful, wanted him to know he was still part of the picture then, and will likely let him know he still very much is now as the Phillies will continue to lean heavily on their starting pitching to chase after a World Series.

UPDATE [3:30 P.M.] – Wheeler is headed for a rehab assignment with Triple-A Lehigh Valley that will begin Saturday, per The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Lochlahn March. 

It’s another very encouraging sign for his path back to the rotation.

End of the line for Stubbs

Rafael Marchán made the team. He’ll be the backup catcher for J.T. Realmuto, which means the Phillies are set to move on from Garrett Stubbs.

Stubbs, who was the backup backstop and the energy spark of the Phillies’ clubhouse during their breakout run to the World Series in 2022 and annual postseason contention thereafter, is out of minor-league options.

So the Phillies are trying to find a trade for him before the season starts and rosters have to be submitted, otherwise, they’ll have to designate him for assignment, per MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki.

Stubbs endeared himself to the club as a knowledgeable catcher to pair with Realmuto in film study and scouting, and to his teammates and the fans outside of the clubhouse, as the team DJ and life of the party who turned “Dancing On My Own” into the Phillies’ postseason anthem.

He struggled to bring anything to the plate, though, in the spots when Realmuto needed a break, and with Marchán right behind him for the past couple of years, eventually, the lack of production, and age (Stubbs is 32 and Marchán is 27), were going to catch up to him.

It looks like it has now.

SIGN UP HERE to receive the PhillyVoice Sports newsletter

Follow Nick on Twitter: @itssnick

Follow Nick on Bluesky: @itssnick