The Philadelphia Phillies plan to slow-roll top prospect Andrew Painter and his return from injury.
Painter is the Phillies’ top ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline. The right-hander was considered to be in the running for a rotation job this season, but that won’t be the case.
Instead, ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan revealed the Phillies are planning to slow-roll Painter and make sure he builds himself back up after injuries.
“The Phillies are slow-rolling the return of Andrew Painter, arguably the best pitching prospect in baseball. Which is exactly what they should be doing after fortifying their rotation with Jesús Luzardo this winter,” Passan wrote.
“There is zero rush for 6-foot-7 Painter to return after not pitching in an affiliated game since 2022,” Passan added.” The expectation was that he’d debut in 2023. But, Tommy John surgery scuttled that, and a slow recovery kept him out for 2024, too. His performance in the Arizona Fall League allayed any fears. His fastball neared triple digits, and he struck out 18 while walking just four. And afforded Philadelphia the leeway to make sure Painter’s buildup is done right.”
As Passan writes, the Phillies plan to be cautious with Painter who missed all of 2023 and 2024 due to injuries. The right-hander was selected 13th overall in the 2021 MLB draft and projects to be a front of the rotation starter in the majors.
Painter went 6-2 with a 1.56 ERA in 22 minor-league starts in 2022, showing how dominant he can be when healthy.
Painter Throws First Live BP
With Painter working his way back from injury, the right-hander made a big step in his recovery on March 14.
With Painter having not pitched in a real game in two years since Tommy John surgery, Painter threw live batting practice to major league hitters for the first time in two years, throwing to Alec Bohm, Bryson Stott and Brandon Marsh.
Not only was Painter back facing hitters, but he was facing MLB hitters and he impressed in his return to the mound.
“I felt the stuff was coming out pretty good,” Painter said. “The hitters were saying the same. Health is the biggest thing, and I’d just like to build off of it… Just kind of getting back in the routine. Rehab is so fixated, you know what you have every day. You know you have this many throws at this distance and this many throws here. So now, it’s kind of like on your own, where you’re at and figuring out what works for me.”
Painter is expected to begin in Double-A or Triple-A before likely reaching the majors later this season.
Phillies Manager Likes Team Mix
Philadelphia enters the season with World Series expectations.
The Phillies have a good balance of youth and veterans, and manager Rob Thomson likes the team and what they did to add to the group in the offseason.
“That’s exactly what it is,” Thomson said to MLB Network. “We’ve added Jesús Luzardo, Max Kepler… Joe Ross in the bullpen, Jordan Romano in the bullpen. And you’ve got these young guys, (Brandon) Marsh and (Bryson) Stott and (Alec) Bohm, (Johan) Rojas. It’s just a good mix.”
Philadelphia will open their 2025 MLB season against the Washington Nationals on March 27.
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