Phillies’ Aidan Miller Out Six To Eight Weeks Following Back Procedure
The Phillies announced Wednesday that top infield prospect Aidan Miller underwent a “minimally invasive” back procedure called a “radiofrequency ablation of the facet joints.” He’s expected to be shut down for the next week and is currently projected to return to game action in six to eight weeks overall.
Miller has felt persistent back pain throughout the season and has yet to get into a game at any minor league level. Per the Phillies’ press release, he was diagnosed with discogenic pain and facet inflammation in his lumbar spine. Both Phillies medical personnel and third-party medical experts who were consulted for second opinions agreed that this was the best course of action to get him back on track.
Miller, 21, was the No. 27 overall pick back in 2023 and currently ranks as the game’s No. 61 prospect on Baseball America’s top-100 rankings. That ranking has slipped considerably, due both to his injury absence and big performances from rising prospects around the league. He entered the season ranked 14th on BA’s top 100.
Though he won’t turn 22 until next week, Miller has already reached the Triple-A level. He’s hit at every minor league stop, slashing .259/.382/.427 in a pitcher-friendly Double-A setting last year (134 wRC+) before destroying Triple-A pitchers in the final few games of the year. Miller appeared in eight games with Lehigh Valley last summer, tallied 37 plate appearances and hit .333/.514/.519. Between the Double-A and Triple-A levels last season, Miller tallied 14 homers and 59 steals while drawing a walk in 15.6% of his plate appearances and striking out at a 23.6% clip.
Had Miller been healthy, he’d likely have been a consideration for a call to the majors at this point — if he hadn’t already been promoted by now. He’s a natural shortstop but is blocked there by Trea Turner. Third baseman Alec Bohm has begun to turn things around after an awful start to the season, but Miller might have gotten a look over him or also-struggling second baseman Bryson Stott by now. Instead, it seems he’ll be sidelined into the season’s second half.
If today’s back procedure proves effective, Miller could still be a candidate for a call to the majors late in the season, though that’s hardly a foregone conclusion. He’s not eligible for selection in the Rule 5 Draft until December of 2027, so he wouldn’t be added to the 40-man roster this winter. If he struggles upon returning to the field or simply fails to force the issue, the Phils could keep him in the minors in order to preserve some offseason flexibility with regard to the 40-man roster.
Whether it’s this year or next, Miller doesn’t seem far from impacting the Phillies’ big league infield. Bohm and Stott have both been well below-average at the plate this year, though the former put together a big May. Bohm is a free agent at season’s end, too, which could create a natural opening for Miller at the hot corner.
Blue Jays, Justin Topa Agree To Minor League Deal
The Blue Jays and right-handed reliever Justin Topa are in agreement on a minor league contract, per the MiLB.com transaction log. He’ll head to Triple-A Buffalo for the time being. Topa was designated for assignment by the Twins and released late last month.
Topa, 35, has pitched in parts of seven big league seasons and has nearly six full years of big league service. He’s shown high-end potential at times but has generally struggled to stay on the field. He spent two-plus seasons with the Twins after coming over from the Mariners alongside prospect Gabriel González in the 2023 trade that sent Jorge Polanco to Seattle.
Topa has tossed 19 innings already this year, which somewhat incredibly marks only the third time in his injury-marred career that he’s reached 10 major league innings. He’s been quite effective in his two prior healthy seasons. In 2023, he gave the Mariners a career-high 69 innings with a 2.61 ERA, 21.9% strikeout rate, 6.5% walk rate and huge 56.7% grounder rate. He wasn’t as successful with Minnesota in 2025 but still turned in a solid 3.90 ERA, 18.3% strikeout rate, 6.7% walk rate and 47.7% grounder rate in 60 frames.
The 2026 season hasn’t been kind to Topa. He’s pitched 19 innings and served up 18 runs (17 earned) on 27 hits and 11 walks. He’s yielded four home runs, struck out only 13% of his opponents and walked 12% of them. Topa averaged 95.2 mph on his sinker as recently as 2023 but is sitting 93.2 mph so far in 2026. His ability to miss bats, generate grounders and limit walks have all trended starkly in the wrong direction.
Topa has twice undergone Tommy John surgery to this point in his career. He also missed nearly all of his first season with the Twins after suffering a torn patellar tendon in his left knee. Over the years, Topa has also missed time with ankle, triceps and oblique injuries. He’s a talented arm, but time will tell whether the Jays can either get his stuff back to previous levels or help him get by with lesser velocity across the board.
The Twins are paying Topa a $1.225MM salary this season. The Blue Jays would only owe him the prorated league minimum for any time he spends on the big league roster. That amount would be subtracted from the remainder the Twins owe him, but Minnesota is paying the majority of his salary regardless.
KBO’s LG Twins Sign Yacksel Rios, Release Yonny Chirinos
The LG Twins of the Korea Baseball Organization are signing right-hander Yacksel Rios, per Korean news outlet Naver Sports. He’ll take the place of another former big league right-hander, Yonny Chirinos, who is being released. Rios had been with the Cubs organization, but the MiLB.com transaction log indicates that he was released earlier this week. Rios surely requested his release in order to pursue this opportunity. The Cubs will likely receive a nominal cash sum from the KBO’s Twins as compensation for granting Rios his release.
Rios, 32, has pitched to a 4.24 ERA in 17 2/3 innings with the Cubs’ top affiliate in Des Moines this season and tossed 1 2/3 shutout innings with the big league team earlier this year. He’s a veteran of exactly 100 major league innings but has struggled to a 6.21 ERA across stints with the Phillies, Pirates, Mariners, Red Sox and A’s (in addition to his brief ’26 stint with the Cubs).
Rios averaged 98 mph on his four-seamer earlier this year in his quick MLB look but has sat 96.6 mph in Iowa. He combines that four-seamer with a sinker of comparable velocity, a splitter in the low 90s and a slider that sits around 86 mph. Rios has a 4.14 ERA in parts of five Triple-A seasons. He’s regularly misses bats but, like many hard throwers, has struggled to command his potent arsenal.
With the KBO’s Twins, he’s expected to compete for closing opportunities. A big showing in the final four months of the season could plausibly earn him a look back in the majors this offseason, but it’s likelier to be an audition for a full season in either the KBO or in NPB next season. If he throws well, he’d have a path to securing a seven-figure payday in one of the top Asian leagues, and an eventual return to the majors can never be fully ruled out.
Chirinos, also 32, was in his second season with the Twins. His first year overseas went brilliantly, as he worked to a 3.31 ERA over 177 innings. He’s made eight starts and pitched only 33 2/3 innings this season, however. Opponents have teed off and dinged him for a 6.68 ERA during that time. Despite pitching only 33 2/3 frames, Chirinos has yielded 47 hits and 14 walks (plus four more plunked batters).
Astros Activate Josh Hader
2:25pm: The Astros have now officially announced Hader’s reinstatement. Correa was indeed moved to the 60-day IL to open a 40-man spot. They also placed infielder Braden Shewmake on the 10-day IL, retroactive to May 31st, with a right adductor strain. Outfielder Zach Cole was recalled to replace Shewmake.
12:56pm: The Astros announced yesterday that righty Logan VanWey was being optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land. The team didn’t specify a corresponding move, noting that a transaction would be announced Tuesday. Manager Joe Espada now tells SportsTalk 790’s Matt Thomas that closer Josh Hader will be reinstated from the injured list and active for tonight’s game. Hader is on the 60-day IL, so in addition to VanWey’s option, Houston will need to open a 40-man roster spot. That can be achieved simply by transferring Carlos Correa to the 60-day IL following his season-ending ankle surgery, however.
Hader’s 2025 season ended in mid-August due to a capsule strain in his left shoulder. He didn’t end up requiring surgery and was even hopeful of being able to return at some point during a potential postseason run. The Astros wound up falling shy of the playoffs, so we never found out whether he’d have been able to do so.
The plan for Hader was a mostly normal offseason. General manager Dana Brown said in mid-November that his closer had already thrown off a mound three times. The organization hoped to have the multi-time All-Star back in the Opening Day mix. That might well have been the case based on Hader’s shoulder alone, but he began experiencing biceps pain early in spring training. He was eventually diagnosed with tendinitis, ruled out for Opening Day, and has now missed more than two months of the season.
Hader has pitched well for most of his minor league rehab stint. The 32-year-old breezed through his first seven appearances, allowing just one run on four hits and a walk with 11 punchouts in seven frames. He was roughed up a bit in his final two outings, yielding five runs (three earned) on four hits and a pair of walks without a strikeout. That nudged his minor league ERA up to 4.15, but the bulk of his work between Double-A and Triple-A is reason for encouragement.
It’s worth noting that Hader’s sinker has averaged 93.9 mph in Triple-A — well shy of last year’s 95.5 mph, which was already his lowest mark since 2020. He’s very likely still building up velocity after a long layoff and a pair of fairly notable arm issues, so it’s not a major warning light, but it’ll still be worth keeping an eye on his velocity in the early stages of his return. Hader had no problem missing bats even back in 2017-18, when his sinker was sitting 94.4 mph, but he pushed that average up to 96.4 mph over a four-year period from ’21-’24.
Hader’s return should be a substantial boon for an Astros bullpen that has been pieced together for much of the season. Bryan Abreu was a natural fill-in for Hader in the ninth inning after last year’s dominant performance in a setup role — or so it seemed. Abreu, however, has lost about three miles per hour off his heater this year, dropping from an average of 97.3 mph to 94.8 mph. He stumbled through an abysmal April before getting better results in May, but Abreu’s velocity isn’t any better now than it was in March — and he’s walked nearly 24% of his opponents this season. He doesn’t look close to his former self.
Houston has also seen at least modest steps back from key relievers like Steven Okert and Bryan King. Both have comparable ERAs to last season but with diminished rate stats. Lefty Bennett Sousa, who posted a 2.84 ERA in 50 2/3 frames last year, has pitched 3 1/3 innings this season and is on the injured list due to elbow inflammation.
All of that has conspired to leave Houston relievers with a major league-worst 5.16 ERA on the season. The Astros’ bullpen is tied for the sixth-lowest strikeout rate in baseball (20.5%) and has the third-highest walk rate (12.4%). It’s a major reason the team finds itself seven games under .500. Getting Hader back in the fold should help protect late leads, but he’s only one of several high-end contributors whose absence has helped dig a brutal hole for the ‘Stros to try to escape in the two months leading up to this year’s Aug. 3 trade deadline.
MLBTR Chat Transcript
Steve Adams
- Good afternoon! I’ll get going at the top of the hour, but feel free to start sending in questions ahead of time.
- Let’s get underway!
o-birds
- Will the Orioles be able to sign Gunnar before he becomes a free agent, knowing Boras is a players agent why do teams draft them knowing they will be difficult to sign when they become free agents? Thank you Steve 😊
Steve Adams
- I don’t see any real chance of a Henderson extension.Avoiding an agent in the draft seems pointless though. Very few players, regardless of representation, sign team-friendly extensions — relatively speaking, anyhow. And there are plenty of Boras guys who’ve signed long-term deals. The narrative is a bit overstated. Cooper Pratt just signed an eight-year deal before he even reached the majors, and he’s a Boras guy.
You get the player for six-plus years regardless.
Dodgers101
- Will skubal be sealed at the deadline?
Steve Adams
- Assuming that’s “traded” — the short, boring and most accurate answer is: “Maybe?”If the Tigers are 10+ games back, then yeah, I imagine he’ll be moved. They’ll get a big return in a trade that eclipses the draft pick they’d net upon him rejecting a QO and signing elsewhere.
But today’s brand of front office almost universally waits until the eleventh hour to make even minor decisions. The Tigers aren’t going to punt on the season in early June. Unless they’re still just absolutely buried in the standings, I doubt they’ll make a final call on Skubal any sooner than 72-ish hours before the deadline. If they have a glimmer of hope, they’re going to wait until the last possible second.
Giants Hire Gary Pettis As Third Base Coach
The Giants announced Tuesday that they’ve hired Gary Pettis as their new third base coach. He’ll replace Hector Borg, who was relieved of third base coaching duties recently and reassigned to a player development role within the organization.
An 11-year major league veteran known for his stellar outfield defense and baserunning prowess, the now 68-year-old Pettis has 27 years of coaching experience, including 22 prior seasons in the majors. The five-time Gold Glove winner served as both a third base coach and first base coach across stints with the White Sox, Angels, Mets, Rangers and Astros. Pettis spent a decade as Houston’s third base coach and was on the staff for both of the Astros’ World Series victories.
Pettis brings a highly experienced dugout veteran to rookie big league manager Tony Vitello’s staff. Notably, he served on the Rangers’ coaching staff under then-manager Ron Washington, who’s now the Giants’ infield coach. In addition to his work as the third base coach, Pettis will have plenty of wisdom to share with the Giants’ lineup about the finer points of baserunning, and he’ll presumably work with the team’s young outfielders as well.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale first reported that the Giants were hiring Pettis as their new third base coach.
Bailey Ober Diagnosed With Flexor Strain
Twins righty Bailey Ober recently hit the injured list with inflammation in his right elbow. A subsequent MRI revealed a mild flexor strain, general manager Jeremy Zoll told the Twins beat (via The Athletic’s Dan Hayes). The imaging did not raise concern regarding Ober’s ulnar collateral ligament, though he’s receiving a second opinion as a precaution. Ober will be shut down from throwing entirely for the next 10 to 14 days. He’s likely to spend the majority or entirety of this month on the shelf.
It’s another notable hit to a Twins rotation that has been decimated by injury this season. Pablo López suffered a UCL tear in his first bullpen session of spring training and underwent internal brace surgery not long after, wiping him out for the entire season. Right-hander David Festa went down with a shoulder impingement during spring training and hasn’t pitched this season. A pair of big young arms Minnesota added at last year’s deadline — righty Mick Abel and lefty Kendry Rojas — are both on the shelf, too. Abel has been out for six weeks now with elbow inflammation, while Rojas recently landed on the 15-day IL due to a triceps injury. Meanwhile, Simeon Woods Richardson has struggled to the extent that the Twins designated the out-of-options righty for assignment.
June was a problematic month for Ober in 2025 as well. After a nice start to his season, he was blown up for 30 runs in 30 innings before heading to the injured list with a hip impingement. He spent a month on the IL and pitched decently in his return. He’s now looking at a second straight season with around a monthlong absence.
Ober, 30, opened the season on an impressive run. He capped off a stretch of nine strong outings (3.46 ERA in 52 innings) with a complete game shutout over the Marlins back on May 12. He’s struggled in three starts since, with worse results each time. Ober was tagged for eight runs (seven earned) over 4 2/3 innings his most recent time out and has yielded a total of 14 earned runs over his past 14 2/3 innings.
This is Ober’s fourth full season in the majors and the sixth overall in which he’s logged some big league time. The towering 6’9″ righty was never an especially touted prospect but has emerged as a capable mid-rotation stalwart in Minnesota. He carries a career 4.13 ERA with a 23.2% strikeout rate and 5.4% walk rate in 684 1/3 frames at the major league level. He’s controlled through 2027 and is earning a reasonable $5.2MM salary this season. If the Twins operate as sellers for a second straight deadline, it stands to reason that Ober would be a natural trade candidate — that is, as long as he’s healthy.
Zoll did provide a bit more positive news for Twins fans in his media session with the beat (via Bobby Nightengale of the Minnesota Star Tribune). Rojas is slated to resume throwing today, signaling a potentially short stay on the injured list. Abel will also take a big step toward returning when he pitches two innings in a simulated game this Thursday.
The Twins’ rotation at the moment includes Joe Ryan, Taj Bradley and current/recent top prospects Connor Prielipp and Zebby Matthews. They’ll go with Prielipp and Bradley in their next two games, but Thursday’s starter is listed as TBD. With five starters on the injured list and a sixth designated for assignment, their in-house options to step into that spot are slim. The same can be said of stopgaps on the waiver wire, though journeyman Austin Voth is currently out there after being DFA by the Blue Jays. A bullpen game is another option, though Minnesota’s bullpen is among the worst in the sport.
Rangers Release Ryan Brasier
The Rangers released veteran reliever Ryan Brasier from their Triple-A affiliate, per the transaction log at MiLB.com. Brasier had been pitching well and was cut loose on June 1, which suggests there may have been an opt-out date in his contract with Texas. He joins righty Josh Sborz, also released from the Rangers’ Round Rock affiliate yesterday, in returning to the open market.
Brasier signed a minor league deal with Texas in the offseason. He was in big league camp this spring but opted out of that original minor league pact when he was told he wouldn’t make the roster. The 38-year-old righty and Texas native eventually re-signed on a new minor league deal but hasn’t gotten a call to the majors despite solid results in the upper minors.
In 22 2/3 innings with the Express this season, Brasier has posted a respectable 3.97 ERA with more encouraging rate stats. He’s set down an above-average 24.5% of his opponents on strikes, turned in a sharp 6.4% walk rate and induced grounders at a hearty 47.6% clip. He’s yielded only two round-trippers thus far — an average of 0.79 per nine innings pitched.
Brasier’s velocity has been on the decline for a few seasons now, as one would expect for a veteran who’s in his 20th professional season and approaching his 39th birthday (in August). He’s no longer averaging the 96 mph he was at his peak, but the 93.9 mph he’s averaged in Round Rock this season is right in line with the 94 mph he averaged in the Cubs’ bullpen last year; Brasier tossed 26 innings with a 4.50 ERA in Chicago last year (with a more impressive 3.74 SIERA and 3.17 FIP).
Brasier has pitched in parts of nine major league seasons and accrued more than eight years of MLB service time. He made brief MLB debut with the 2013 Angels but didn’t settle in as a consistent big leaguer until an age-29 stint in Japan with the Hiroshima Carp helped to turn his career around. A nice performance in Japan landed him a minor league deal with the Red Sox, and he broke out with a 1.60 ERA in 33 2/3 frames for their World Series-winning club in 2018.
Since that return from NPB, Brasier carries a 3.96 ERA in 302 1/3 frames. As previously mentioned, the stuff isn’t where it was in his early 30s, but even over the past three seasons, Brasier has worked to a solid 3.48 earned run average while fanning a league-average 22.3% of his opponents. His command has sharpened in the late stages of his career; Brasier has posted a sub-5% walk rate in three of the past four seasons, including each of the past two.
There are plenty of teams around the league in far more dire need of bullpen help than Texas. Rangers relievers have combined for a 3.39 ERA that ranks eighth-best in the sport. They’ve struggled a bit more over the past month (4.43 earned run average), but they ostensibly preferred to give rookie left-hander Robby Ahlstrom (just selected to the roster yesterday) a look over a more veteran option like Brasier or Sborz. Brasier’s track record and solid performance in Triple-A this year ought to earn him an opportunity with another organization before long — perhaps even a major league deal.
Carlos Carrasco Elects Free Agency
6:28pm: Carrasco has elected free agency, according to Jesús Cano of The Athletic. It’s likely he’ll re-sign on an MLB or minor league deal within the coming days.
10:53am: The Braves announced this morning that righty Carlos Carrasco went unclaimed on waivers and has been assigned outright to Triple-A Gwinnett. Carrasco has the right to reject the assignment in favor of free agency.
One way or another, Carrasco will likely be back with Atlanta. He’s been designated for assignment by the Braves three other times dating back to last August and has returned on new minor league deals each time. Carrasco also re-signed a minor league deal with the Braves in free agency this past winter. It’s always possible he’ll just accept the outright assignment, but electing free agency and quickly negotiating a new minor league pact gives his camp the opportunity to secure some perks (new opt-out dates, upward mobility clause, slight salary increase, etc.) that aren’t in the current deal.
The 39-year-old Carrasco has pitched well when the Braves have summoned him to the majors this season. He’s tossed 7 1/3 innings and held opponents to a pair of runs on six hits and no walks with four strikeouts. He’s been sharp in Gwinnett, too, logging a flat 3.00 ERA (21 K%, 5.6 BB%) in 30 innings of work there.
Both Carrasco and the Braves front office have been very comfortable with the setup that sees him act as an unofficial 41st man on the roster. He can’t be optioned, so Carrasco is frequently selected to the roster, used as needed, passed through waivers and then returns on a new minor league deal. He’s already picked up 24 days of big league service and salary in 2026 this way, and there’s a good chance he’ll have several similar stint through season’s end.
White Sox Release LaMonte Wade Jr.
The White Sox have released veteran first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr., who’d been playing with their Triple-A affiliate. CHSN’s Brooke Fletcher was among those to relay the news. The 32-year-old Wade was performing well in Charlotte, slashing .250/.420/.441 with seven homers, eight doubles, two steals and more walks (22.4%) than strikeouts (21.4%) in 201 trips to the plate.
It might register as a modest surprise that the Sox either cut him loose or (if he had a June 1 opt-out in his contract) granted him his release at a time when Munetaka Murakami just hit the shelf for at least four to six weeks due to a Grade 2 hamstring strain. However, Chicago is taking a look at 2023 first-rounder Jacob Gonzalez in Murakami’s absence. He played first base in his MLB debut but has more experience on the left side of the infield, which could allow Miguel Vargas to man first base more regularly in Murakami’s absence. Gonzalez absolutely earned a look with a massive performance in Triple-A. Perhaps they could’ve found a way to get Wade onto the bench in a reserve role, but that would’ve entailed cutting ties with a veteran outfielder like Derek Hill or Randal Grichuk. The Sox chose not to do so.
Wade originally signed a minor league deal with the South Siders in January. He was released late in camp when the Sox informed him that he wouldn’t crack the Opening Day roster, but he signed a new minor league deal a week later and has spent the entire season thus far with the Knights.
Wade has appeared in each of the past seven big league campaigns, mostly with the Giants, and is a lifetime .236/.341/.390 hitter in the majors. His most recent work was well shy of his career marks, however; in 282 plate appearances between San Francisco and Anaheim last year, he posted a dreadful .167/.271/.254 batting line (52 wRC+) with a career-worst 24% strikeout rate. Wade grades out below average at first base (his primary position) and in the outfield corners, and he’s never hit left-handed pitching very well.
It’s a limited skill set, but Wade’s work in Charlotte shows what he’s capable of at his best: piling up walks to support a substantial on-base percentage with enough power to offset what’s typically a pedestrian batting average. Teams looking for some lefty-swinging corner help — ideally at first base but possibly at DH and/or in an outfield corner — could take a look and hope that his strong showing in the upper minors is a precursor to a return to form in the majors. It’s also possible he simply returns to the White Sox, depending on what the market has to bear. This time last year, the White Sox granted reliever Dan Altavilla his release when he triggered an opt-out, only to re-sign him on a big league deal 48 hours later.