Phillies' Andrew Painter: Chance to pitch for big club in '23
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President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Sunday that he believes that Painter (elbow) can pitch for the Phillies in 2023, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Painter remains on schedule to play catch at the end of March, per Dombrowski, once he completes his prescribed four-week rest period. The right-hander was diagnosed with a ulnar collateral ligament sprain in his right elbow, but the Phillies will have the right-hander rest rather than undergo surgery. Painter is one of the top pitching prospects in the sport, and assuming he is able to resume throwing without setbacks, he could provide relevance in the 2023 campaign.
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Phillies' Andrew Painter: Diagnosed with sprained UCL
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Painter will be shut down for four weeks after being diagnosed with a proximal ulnar collateral ligament sprain in his right elbow.
An MRI a week ago showed the issue, and it has since been confirmed following a second opinion from Dr. Neal ElAttrache. The hope is that Painter will be cleared to do some light throwing after the four-week shutdown period is up. For what it's worth, the 19-year-old righty told Todd Zolecki of MLB.com that it's a "pretty mild" sprain and he's "pretty confident" he'll heal with rest and rehab. Still, it's a major concern for the Phillies and to fantasy managers in re-draft formats who have already rostered Painter.
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Phillies' Andrew Painter: No update on elbow injury
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Phillies manager Rob Thomson had no update Tuesday on the tests run on Painter's right elbow, Alex Coffey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Painter was sent for various scans on his elbow last Friday after experiencing discomfort in the joint following his Grapefruit League debut last Wednesday. It seems the Phillies are either keeping the results under wraps or seeking more opinions -- maybe a concerning mix of both. "We're still trying to get all the information together," said Thomson. "He's such an important guy in our organization. Young, top prospect, we just want to make sure the information is right. And we'll give it to you at that point."
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Phillies' Andrew Painter: Undergoing tests on elbow
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Painter is undergoing tests on his right elbow after alerting trainers to some soreness in the area Friday, Paul Casella of MLB.com reports.
Painter showed electric stuff during his Grapefruit League debut Wednesday but evidently came out of the appearance with some tenderness in his pitching elbow. The results of the testing are expected to be available Saturday. Painter won't turn 20 until next month, but the top prospect has an outside shot to break camp as a member of the Phillies' rotation. Even if tests don't reveal anything serious, it seems likely the right-hander will be shut down for a while as the organization proceeds cautiously with him.
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Phillies' Andrew Painter: Could win rotation spot
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Painter has a legitimate chance to win the Phillies' No. 5 starter spot in spring training, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.
Painter will be primarily competing with Bailey Falter for the fifth starter spot, while Cristopher Sanchez, Nick Nelson and Michael Plassmeyer are emergency depth options. Painter is arguably the No. 1 pitching prospect in the game, and his skills belie his youth, as evidenced by his 1.8 percent walk rate in 28.1 innings as a 19-year-old at Double-A. He took part in a live batting practice session earlier this week and has been bonding with veterans Zack Wheeler and Kyle Schwarber so far in camp.
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Phillies' Andrew Painter: Invited to big-league camp
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Painter will join the Phillies' major-league camp this spring.
The invitation was an expected one, as it appears as though Painter will be given a shot to win a spot in the Phillies' Opening Day rotation. That may seem like quite the jump, as Painter is just 19 years old and has five Double-A starts and no Triple-A outings under his belt, but given the pace of Painter's rapid rise, the team may not want to waste any more of his innings in the minors. In 26 total starts as a professional, the 2021 No. 13 overall pick owns a 1.48 ERA and 0.88 WHIP, numbers he's backed up with a 39.6 percent strikeout rate and 5.9 percent walk rate. Bailey Falter looks like his top competition for the fifth starter job.
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Phillies' Andrew Painter: Turns in spectacular 2022
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Painter pitched 103.2 innings across three levels in 2022, posting a 1.56 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 155:25 K:BB in the process.
The 19-year-old rose from Single-A to High-A to Double-A without the transitions to higher-level competition seeming to affect him much at all. The No. 13 pick in the 2021 draft, Painter might go No. 1 if they could do it all over again. There's a very solid argument to be made that he's become the best pitching prospect in baseball.
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Phillies' Andrew Painter: Another outstanding outing
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Painter struck out nine batters in seven innings in his start for Double-A Reading on Saturday, giving up one run on eight hits and no walks.
The 19-year-old righty began the year with Single-A Clearwater, posting a 1.40 ERA in nine starts before moving to High-A Jersey Shore in early June. Things went even better for him after the promotion, as he cruised to a 0.98 ERA in eight outings before moving up to the Double-A level in mid-August. Through his first three starts for Reading, he owns a 1.40 ERA and 23:1 K:BB. His outstanding season has accelerated his timeline, and he now seemingly has a shot to debut in the first half of 2023.
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Phillies' Andrew Painter: Dominance continues in High-A
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Painter pitched four scoreless innings for High-A Jersey Shore on Saturday, striking out nine and allowing just two hits without a walk. He now has a 2.25 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 19:3 K:BB through 12 innings in High-A.
Painter certainly hasn't been asked to do too much since being promoted, as the Phillies are presumably looking to monitor his workload in his first full professional campaign. He threw six innings in each of his final two Single-A starts, so we know Painter is capable of going deeper into games. For now, the important thing is that Painter is missing bats just as impressively as he did at the lower level. Collectively, he's struck out 88 batters while allowing just 28 hits in 50.2 minor-league innings this season.
