There are always going to be questions when a contending team opts to send a rookie out to the mound every fifth day instead of signing a veteran to a one-year contract to help the squad navigate the 162-game slog that is regular season. The Philadelphia Phillies rolled those dice this offseason by choosing Painter and were forced to face the results, as he struggled to a 1-8 record and a 7.06 ERA in 12 starts before his demotion to the minor leagues earlier this season.
The 23-year-old returned to Lehigh Valley (Triple-A), dialed in his stuff, and made a less-than-triumphant but still impressive return to the big league club in Baltimore on July 31, a no-decision in a 6-4 loss to the Orioles where he allowed two earned runs on three hits.
In all, Painter has allowed three or fewer hits in five of his seven starts since returning from the minor leagues, where he has confused hitters with a devastating changeup, as noted by WIP’s Jack Fritz:
Hitters are hitting .077 against Andrew Painter’s changeup since being recalled from AAA with a nearly 20% whiff rate.
— Jack Fritz (@JackFritzWIP) September 3, 2026
Fixing the fastball has gotten a lot of the attention, rightfully so, but the change to the changeup has been equally as big.
The mental reset in the Pennsylvania mountains did a world of good for the young righty, who has tossed at least 93 pitches in each of his last five appearances. With a few weeks left in the season, Painter has secured his fifth rotation spot through the end of the regular season.
Painter’s resurgence and the Phillies playoff rotation
When push comes to shove in the postseason, there will be no room for Painter in the rotation unless interim manager Don Mattingly needs a spot starter for a ballgame. Starting rotations often get sliced from a five-man group to a three-man crew, which leaves one or more starters out of place for the most important games of the season.
It’s pretty hard to fathom a rookie beating our Cristopher Sánchez, Zack Wheeler, Jesús Luzardo, or even Aaron Nola for a chance to receive an important postseason start. Even if he continues his stellar work over the final month of the season, it would cause quite the commotion around South Philadelphia if he were to steal a postseason start away from Nola this fall. They might even mention the Phillies on sports radio during the Philadelphia Eagles' football season!
Painter is still in for an uphill battle to take the ball away from MLB pitchers with more postseason experience under their cleats. That situation moves Painter into a middle-inning bridge role to get the game to Orion Kerkering, Brooks Raley, Jose Alvarado, and Jhoan Duran to close out a ballgame. This represents a chance to get the first-year pitcher some postseason experience in (hopefully) low-pressure situations.
The young pitcher certainly would not be the first starter to find his way into the bullpen in the playoffs, where he joins names like Roki Sasaki (2025 Dodgers), Madison Bumgarner (2014 Giants), and David Price (2008 Rays & 2018 Red Sox). These pitchers proved that a starting-pitcher-turned-reliever in the playoffs can have a measurable impact on a World Series-winning squad.
Mattingly will have a choice on how he wants to set up the Phillies' rotation in a few weeks. Sánchez, Wheeler, and Luzardo have all got to be locked into place, with Nola seemingly having the inside track due to a 5-4 record and a 3.88 ERA in 11 postseason appearances. That leaves Painter in the bullpen, ready to confuse opposing hitters over the middle innings next month.
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