Phillies' Andrew Painter: Bounces back at Triple-A
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Painter struck out six batters and allowed one hit and two walks over five scoreless innings in his rehab start Sunday with Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Painter had permitted 10 earned runs in nine innings over his first two starts of June, but he took an encouraging step forward Sunday, facing just one batter more than the minimum while needing 72 pitches to record 15 outs. The right-hander now holds a 4.35 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 35:13 K:BB over 31 innings in his seven starts since joining Lehigh Valley after completing a four-start rehab assignment in the Florida State League. Painter's big-league debut was pushed back after he underwent Tommy John surgery in July 2023, but assuming he can build on Sunday's outing and continue to overwhelm Triple-A hitters, he should be ready to slot into the Philadelphia rotation at some point shortly after the All-Star break.
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Phillies' Andrew Painter: Unlikely to debut in first half
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Phillies manager Rob Thomson indicated recently that it's unlikely Painter will make his major-league debut prior to the All-Star break, Paul Casella of MLB.com reports.
Thomson also hinted that the club plans to give Painter some rest around the All-Star break as part of his workload management in his first season back in action following Tommy John surgery. The right-hander might make his MLB debut shortly after that during the Phillies' homestand that runs from July 18 to 23, although that's not written in ink. Painter's last four starts have been at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, and he's posted a 2.65 ERA and 20:7 K:BB over 17 innings in those outings. The 22-year-old went five frames in his last start and is slated to pitch into the sixth inning his next time on the bump.
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Phillies' Andrew Painter: Makes Triple-A debut
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Painter allowed one hit and three walks while striking out five across three innings with Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Thursday.
This marked Painter's Triple-A debut, and he set a season high with 60 pitches as he continues to get stretched out. He struggled with his control -- only 34 of his pitches went for strikes-- but Painter was still able to showcase his strikeout upside. He'll likely be an option for the big-league rotation at some point during the summer.
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Phillies' Andrew Painter: Up to Triple-A for next start
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Painter's next start will come at Triple-A Lehigh Valley on May 8, Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
The Phillies are ready to bump up Painter's competition level after he allowed five runs with a 12:1 K:BB over 11.1 innings covering four starts at Single-A Clearwater. Next week's start will be the first of his career at the Triple-A level. Painter topped out at four frames and had a high of 49 pitches at Clearwater and will continue to stretch out with Lehigh Valley. The goal is for the righty to join the Phillies' rotation sometime this summer.
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Phillies' Andrew Painter: Remaining at Single-A for now
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Painter will make his next start Thursday with Single-A Clearwater, not with Triple-A Lehigh Valley as initially reported, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.
Painter's first three starts this season were at Clearwater, and he will remain in Florida with the affiliate fo rnow. He went three innings in each of his last two outings and is expected to stretch out to four frames Thursday. Coming back from July 2023 Tommy John surgery, Painter is aiming to be part of the Phillies rotation later this season.
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Phillies' Andrew Painter: Pitching for Single-A club Friday
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Painter is scheduled to make his first start of the season Friday with Single-A Clearwater, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.
The Phillies' top pitching prospect, Painter was deemed fully healthy for spring training but didn't see any Grapefruit League action as the organization aimed to ramp him up slowly coming off July 2023 Tommy John surgery. Painter stayed back in Florida at the conclusion of big-league spring training and has been throwing simulated games of late, but he'll now get a chance to test himself in an uncontrolled setting when he reports to the Phillies' Single-A affiliate. The Phillies anticipate Painter being ready to join the big-league rotation at some point this summer, but he'll first need to get some reps at the minor-league level before receiving a call-up. He'll likely be limited to around two innings Friday and will gradually increase his pitch count in subsequent outings while also eventually moving on to Double-A Reading and/or Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
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Phillies' Andrew Painter: Nearing rehab assignment
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Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Friday that Painter (elbow) could begin a rehab assignment soon, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.
Painter had a two-inning live batting practice session Friday that went well and the next step for the right-hander could be pitching in a game. He is healthy, but Painter is being slow-played by the Phillies as he comes back from Tommy John surgery in July 2023. The top prospect is expected to become an option for the big-league rotation around midseason.
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Phillies' Andrew Painter: Changes up repertoire, preparations
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Painter has ditched his cutter and added a changeup as his fourth pitch, per Matt Gelb of The Athletic.
Painter is in camp with the big-league club but will not pitch in spring games, as the Phillies look to preserve the workload of their prized prospect in his return from 2023 Tommy John surgery. The 21-year-old threw 15.2 frames in the Arizona Fall League last year, posting a 2.30 ERA and 18:4 K:BB, and he impressed his pitching coach, Caleb Cotham, in the process with a refined pitch mix that Painter is expected to carry forward into 2025. Painter is also reportedly throwing bullpens at a lower intensity this spring compared to past camps as he prepares to make his major-league debut this summer. Gelb previously suggested back in January that 80 or so big-league innings could be the target for Painter in his debut season.
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Phillies' Andrew Painter: Back to form
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Painter has a 2.08 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, 12 strikeouts and two walks in 13 innings through five Arizona Fall League starts.
He last pitched three scoreless and hitless frames Tuesday, and could make a final AFL appearance this week. Prior to the fall league, Painter hadn't pitched since 2022, yet he leads qualified AFL pitchers in ERA and WHIP. He has used all four of his pitches this fall, with his four-seam fastball up to 99 mph and averaging 97 mph, per Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com. His stuff is all the way back as is his control, which was part of what made Painter such a special prospect before Tommy John surgery. It's unclear if the Phillies will ease Painter into action at Triple-A or give him a shot to win a job in the big-league rotation out of spring training. He threw 103.2 innings in 2022 and will finish with just under 20 innings this fall, so a potentially capped, unpredictable workload is the main drawback with the 21-year-old righty in redraft leagues.
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Phillies' Andrew Painter: Added to AFL roster
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Painter (elbow) will pitch for the Glendale Desert Dogs in the Arizona Fall League, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.
Painter began throwing off a mound in July as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery and the Phillies have decided to send their top pitching prospect to the AFL so he can face hitters prior to the offseason. It will be his first game action since 2022. Provided he makes a full recovery and regains his pre-surgery stuff, Painter is a good bet to contribute in the majors at some point in 2025.
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Phillies' Andrew Painter: Throwing off mound
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Painter (elbow) progressed to throwing off a mound in Clearwater in July but will not return to game action until the 2025 season, MLB.com reports.
Given that Painter had Tommy John surgery in late-July 2023, it was always unlikely we'd see back in game action until 2025. He should have time to be fully recovered and a full-go for spring training. Painter threw 103.2 innings in 2022 and it's tough to predict how many innings he'll throw next season after not pitching at all for two years. However, if he makes a full recovery, he won't need much more developmental time in the minors.
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Phillies' Andrew Painter: Tommy John surgery recommended
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The Phillies announced Wednesday that Painter (elbow) has been recommended for Tommy John surgery.
Painter is set to meet with Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles on Monday for a surgical consultation, and assuming ElAttrache agrees with the assessment made by the Phillies' medical staff, the young right-hander will presumably have his Tommy John surgery performed at some point later this month. The 20-year-old was first diagnosed with a partially torn UCL in his right elbow back in early March. While he appeared to be making strides in his recovery at some points during his rehab, he had a setback while facing hitters earlier this month and looks like he'll ultimately require surgery. An operation would prevent the top prospect from pitching at least until late 2024 and perhaps not until 2025.
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Phillies' Andrew Painter: Tests reveal encouraging results
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Manager Rob Thomson said Saturday that tests on Painter's right elbow revealed healing in his UCL, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.
Painter will remain shut down from throwing for now, but he and the Phillies can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that Tommy John surgery won't be necessary. The 20-year-old righty has spent all season rehabbing a sprained UCL and could still pitch later this season, though no official timeline has been established for his return.
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Phillies' Andrew Painter: Experiencing stiffness
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Painter (elbow) did not throw live batting practice Tuesday because of some stiffness, Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Painter was scheduled to face live hitters for the first time since he suffered a sprained UCL in March, but the Phillies don't want to push the 20-year-old right-hander until he is fully free of any discomfort. "As of now, no, I don't have any concern," manager Rob Thomson told reporters Tuesday afternoon. "We just want to make sure that stiffness gets out and we move forward."
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Phillies' Andrew Painter: Throws 20-pitch bullpen session
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Painter (elbow) threw a 20-pitch bullpen session Saturday, Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Painter entered spring training with a shot to crack the Phillies' Opening Day rotation as a teenager, but a sprained UCL derailed those plans. He avoided surgery and has been steadily building up over the last two months. He began playing catch in early April and had worked his way to bullpen sessions by late May, though those came from the front of the mound. He's ready for the real thing now, but Painter still has steps to go in his recovery before the Phillies consider activating him from the injured list.
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Phillies' Andrew Painter: Throwing bullpen sessions
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Painter (elbow) has begun throwing "short" bullpen sessions, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.
Painter has progressed from long toss to throwing from the front of the mound, roughly 50-to-55 feet away from the plate. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said that he expects Painter to pitch in game action this season -- potentially for the big-league club. On the other hand, he also reiterated that the team is being very careful with its top pitching prospect, and there is still plenty of progress to be made in his recovery.
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Phillies' Andrew Painter: Advances to long-toss
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Painter (elbow) began throwing long toss Tuesday from a distance of 120 feet, Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.
Painter continues to make steady progress in his recovery from a spring UCL sprain and would seem to be nearing a return to mound work. There's no exact timetable for when he might be cleared to pitch in live games, but it remains quite possible that the 20-year-old right-hander could make his MLB debut at some point in 2023. He'll likely first spend a good chunk of time at Double-A Reading and then Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
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Phillies' Andrew Painter: Advances to 90-feet throwing
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Painter (elbow) advanced to playing catch from a distance of 90 feet Thursday, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Painter still has a lot of hurdles to clear, but he has progressed without issue so far with his flat-ground work and might try throwing off a mound sometime in May. The highly-touted 20-year-old right-hander was diagnosed with a UCL sprain in his elbow back in March and is currently on the 60-day injured list at Double-A Reading. There's still some hope that he could debut with the Phillies in 2023, but it would likely be late in the season.
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Phillies' Andrew Painter: Plays catch Monday
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Painter (elbow) played catch Monday for the first time since March 1, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.
It's been a month since Painter was revealed to have been diagnosed with a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, and he's at the beginning stages of what will be a slow-paced throwing program. The hope remains that the top prospect will contribute at the major-league level at some point this season, but it will be a while before a timetable on his return to game action becomes clearer.
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Phillies' Andrew Painter: To throw next week
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Painter (elbow) is scheduled to start throwing next week, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports.
He took a month off from throwing, so everyone will nervously wait to see how his elbow responds during this first throwing session. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said in March that he believes Painter can pitch for the Phillies later this season, but it will likely be a very slow and careful buildup over the coming weeks before that becomes a realistic possibility.
