The Philadelphia Phillies made the MLB playoffs four years in a row from 2022 to 2025. Over the first third and change of the 2026 MLB season, they have stumbled a little bit.
The team is 31-29, second place in the National League East and nine and a half games behind the first-place Atlanta Braves. Philadelphia is one game back of a wild card spot.
Star first basemanBryce Harper is keeping the squad afloat, as always. The veteran has seen a resurgence after last year’s slight downturn in production. He has appeared in all 60 of the team’s games.
Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
© Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Harper is batting .262 with a .363 on-base percentage, an .882 OPS, 14 home runs and 36 RBI. This all comes while having his lowest strikeout rate since 2020 at 18.5%.
If it was not for Harper, it’s hard to imagine the Phillies are above .500, let alone second in the division within striking range.
Before this evening’s game against the San Diego Padres, the first baseman commented on minor league shortstop Aidan Miller, a 21-year-old Phillies prospect in Triple-A. “You always want to see a guy playing. Obviously, it’s been a tough stretch for him. I just hope he gets better.” This was reported by Tim Kelly, the managing editor of On Pattinson.
Miller is set to get surgery on his lumbar spine region. It’s expected that the recovery will be about 6 to 8 weeks, perhaps longer. The back injury has kept him out of play all season down at Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Miller is Philadelphia’s top-ranked prospect, according to MLB.com’s rankings. He has played like it in the minor leagues. In 116 games last year across the highest levels of the minors in Double-A and Triple-A, Miller stole 59 bases, had an on-base percentage of .392 and OPS of .825.
All-Star shortstop Trea Turner isn’t going anywhere, but it’s possible that once called up Miller could play either second or third base. That decision is at least months down the line however because of Miller’s surgery and relative lack of experience at Triple-A.
