It won’t be long until the Philadelphia Phillies’ top prospect will be donning the red pinstripes in front of the home fans at Citizens Bank Park. On Thursday, Andrew Painter started his second career game in Triple-A with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.
Painter is the Phillies’ No. 1 prospect and No. 5 in baseball, per MLB Pipeline. The right-hander’s anticipated major league debut is rapidly approaching as he rehabs from Tommy John surgery.
Overlooked detail about Andrew Painter's latest Triple-A start should have fans giddy
Painter lived up to the hype after being selected 13th overall in the 2021 MLB Draft. He owned a 6-2 record and posted a 1.56 ERA in 22 starts during his first full minor league season in 2022 between Single-A, High-A and Double-A. Unfortunately, he suffered an elbow injury during spring training in 2023, which led to surgery that July and forced him to miss two years.
It’s been a long road back for Painter and the Phillies, but his first two appearances in Triple-A have been encouraging.
After making four starts in Clearwater earlier this season, Painter made his Triple-A debut on May 8. The 22-year-old allowed one hit, three walks, no runs and struck out five batters in three innings. Fans would’ve liked to see more out of the top prospect, who threw only 60 pitches in his first start with the IronPigs, but the Phillies are committed to a cautious approach as he continues to build himself up in games.
Although he allowed two runs off a two-run home run in the third inning on Thursday, Painter took a big next step in his recovery process. The hard-throwing starter pitched a season-high five innings and threw 71 pitches. He allowed five hits, two walks, two runs and recorded three strikeouts en route to his first career Triple-A win.
Andrew Painter's second start with the @IronPigs:
— Phillies Player Development (@PhilsPlayerDev) May 16, 2025
5.0 IP
5 H
2 ER
2 BB
3 K
71 P pic.twitter.com/ULfSPOIT7n
Painter is expected to make his MLB debut in July, so there’s still some time until he takes a big league mound. Another top pitching prospect in the Phillies' organization, Mick Abel, made his MLB debut on Sunday against Paul Skenes and the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Until then, the 6-foot-7 Painter will continue to build himself up and generate buzz around the league and fan base.