Sunday's outing was an important one for Andrew Painter. The Philadelphia Phillies' No. 1 prospect struggled in his previous two starts. In those outings, he allowed 10 earned runs in nine innings pitched.
However, the right-hander showed poise in his ability to bounce back after a rough outing in this weekend's final game, which should give the front office more confidence in their young pitcher's ability and mindset.
Phillies have to be happy to see Andrew Painter bounce back after adversity
The top pitching prospect's start on Sunday was important to see how he would rebound after encountering some adversity.
After his rough outing on Wednesday, manager Rob Thomson discussed the positives of a young pitcher experiencing difficulties, per Anthony SanFilippo of On Pattison.
"That's what the minor leagues are for," Thomson said, per SanFilippo. "A lot of guys go through high school, college, and even sometimes in the minor leagues where they don't have any failure and then all of the sudden they get to the Big Leagues and they fail for the first time and they really don't know how to get out of it."
Painter seemed to adjust appropriately as he tossed five shutout innings, allowing just one hit and surrendering two free passes while striking out six. Sunday's outing was also important because the prospect did something that he has not done since 2021 — pitch on four days' rest.
Andrew Painter is back on track!
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 15, 2025
Pitching on four days' rest for the first time since 2021, MLB's No. 5 prospect (@Phillies) shakes off a tough outing with a gem for the Triple-A @IronPigs:
5 IP
1 H
0 R
2 BB
6 K pic.twitter.com/U0WxReGB05
This is a significant step in his recovery from Tommy John surgery that the right-hander underwent in 2023. The organization plans on promoting Painter at some point later this summer. Paul Casella of MLB.com noted that if that is to happen, he will need to pitch well and prove that he is healthy enough to pitch on regular rest, according to Thomson: "I've said it all along. He's got to be healthy and he's got to be pitching well."
While Painter's numbers at Triple-A Lehigh Valley may appear pedestrian (3-2, 4.35 ERA), the Phillies' front office must be happy with what they saw from their 22-year-old's outing to close out the weekend. Even if Painter does continue to pitch well and demonstrate that he is healthy, the club has a logjam of starting pitchers, and he will need to consistently impress for his long-awaited call-up.
Regardless of when the eventual promotion occurs, Painter's maturity at such a young age is encouraging for the Phillies' brass and fans alike. It is imperative to let him prove that he is healthy and allow him to develop fully, and it seems that the organization is doing just that.