The Philadelphia Phillies are one of the best teams in baseball this season with starting pitching proving especially critical to their success in 2024. While Phillies top prospect Andrew Painter won’t help the team this season, things are looking more promising for a 2025 return.
Philadelphia selected Painted with the 13th overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, betting on the teenager’s upside. After signing with the team, receiving a $3.9 million signing bonus, Painter made quick work of the minor leagues.
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The right-handed pitcher dominated on the mound in his first full minor-league season. Immediately after, he was named the Phillies’ Minor League Player of the Year in 2022 and ranked as one of the best prospects in MLB. Unfortunately, the team’s attempts to ramp him up in spring training for a spot in the Phillies rotation in 2023 backfired.
Philadelphia shut Painter down in March 2023 after recurring discomfort in his pitching elbow. He was later diagnosed with an ulnar collateral ligament sprain, requiring Tommy John Surgery that sidelined him for the entire 2023 season and the entire 2024 campaign. Fortunately, he is approaching critical steps toward a return.
- Andrew Painter stats ( MILB.com ): 1.56 ERA, 155-25 K-BB ratio, .181 batting average allowed, 0.89 WHIP, 6-2 record, 67 hits allowed in 103.2 innings pitched in 2022
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Now approaching 14 months removed from Tommy John surgery, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes that Painter is likely to throw multiple simulated games before the winter arrives. He’s already thrown multiple bullpen sessions, with both owner John Middleton and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski in attendance.
Once he gets through his simulated games, the Phillies’ gameplan calls for Painter to rest his arm this winter following a lengthy rehabilitation process. As for 2025, Lauber writes that the team intends to take things very cautiously with Painter next season.
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Fortunately, as long as the former first-round pick still showcases the same pitches that made him one of the best prospects in MLB, he will make his debut with the Phillies rotation in 2025. It will come with an innings limit, but that number hasn’t been set by the organization.
Looking ahead to the Phillies rotation in 2025, there are already four spots locked up by Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Cristopher Sanchez and Ranger Suarez. It will leave a competition for the No. 5 spot, which given the team’s plan, could see a veteran added in MLB free agency to handle the role early next season. Once the team feels confident Painter is ready, his MLB debut will come.
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