The Philadelphia Phillies will be inducing a youth movement of sorts in 2026.

Justin Crawford will compete for a spot in the outfield this spring. Andrew Painter will compete for a place in the rotation as well. Both prospects — and first-round picks — have yet to play a game in the major leagues, but can fill significant spots on the Phillies' roster next season.

Then there's Aidan Miller, another first-round pick who thrived at Double-A Reading this season and earned a promotion to Triple-A Lehigh Valley late in the year. Miller has been on the fast track to Philadelphia since he was drafted in 2023, and isn't slowing down.

There's a very good chance Miller will be up with the Phillies at some point in 2026.

"He stole over 50 bases. I never would have anticipated he had that type of speed," Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said last week. "He actually gained speed, which is unusual."

The Phillies like what Miller provides on the base paths. He stole 59 bases in 116 games between Reading and Lehigh Valley. Miller hit .264 with 14 home runs and 42 RBIs in the minor leagues last season, having a .392 OBP with an .825 OPS. 

Miller thrived late in the season, hitting .356 with six home runs, 19 RBIs and 22 stolen bases since Aug. 1. He had a .457 OBP and a 1.099 OPS in that same stretch. 

Where does Miller fit into the equation for 2026? The Phillies have a shortstop in Trea Turner, but view Miller as a shortstop going forward. Dombrowski admitted over the summer the Phillies see Miller as a shortstop, but the plans will change if Miller continues to hit his way into the big leagues. 

"He could play other positions, I don't have any question about that," Dombrowski said. "Now, how you do that, how you go about it, I'm not sure even yet that we have that answer. He's played some second, he's played some third, but he's primarily been a shortstop. So we'd have to make sure that we properly prepared him to do that. And that's still a discussion that we'll have to have. And he's a really good player and a good athlete. And he can hit."

The Phillies have played Miller at second base, but third base appears to be where Miller would play if he were to get called up to the majors next season. Turner isn't moving from shortstop any time soon, but third base is a viable option pending on the future of Alec Bohm. The Phillies tried to trade Bohm last offseason, but were unsuccessful.

There's a chance for Miller to play third base if Bohm is moved. Miller has only played eight games at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, so the Phillies may want him to see more at-bats there before bringing him up at some point in 2026.

That's where Otto Kemp comes in. Kemp may get the first opportunity at third base with Miller waiting in the wings. 

"I think Otto Kemp has a chance to be an everyday player. He has a chance to be an everyday player next year," Dombrowski said. "He has thump in his bat. That ball jumps off his bat. We really like him. We like his makeup. He can play a couple different spots as we have seen. Where that would end up happening, would he play all over the place? That is also a possibility. But we really like him a great deal."

Miller appears to be with the Phillies at some point in 2026. He's accelerated the timeline before, and will have an opportunity to make it faster this spring.