Ever since the Philadelphia Phillies selected towering right-handed pitcher Andrew Painter with the no. 13 pick in the 2021 draft, the organization and its fans have been on pins and needles in anticipation of his MLB debut.
Painter looked quite impressive as he worked his way up the ladder, and he was likely ticketed to be up with the big club at some point during the 2023 season before those plans were derailed when a lingering arm injury necessitated Tommy John surgery in July of that year. Now, with Painter on the mend and having recently dominated in the Arizona Fall League, it looks like 2025 will finally be the time that we all get to see Painter in Phillies pinstripes. Not so fast, however.
Phillies' timeline for Andrew Painter's debut will test fans' patience
Speaking earlier this week, Phillies' president Dave Dombrowski offered further clarity on the plan for Painter's usage in spring training, saying: "He'll throw but not plan on pitching (in games). We're going to push the innings back." Dombrowski went on to say that they'll take their time building Painter up in the minors and are not likely to call him up before July.
As Andrew Painter makes his way back from Tommy John surgery, the #Phillies intend to save most of his limited innings for "July-ish," Dave Dombrowski said. Painter will throw in spring training but not in games. He will build up in the minors before coming to the big leagues.
— Scott Lauber (@ScottLauber) December 23, 2024
This is, of course, all in an effort to manage Painter's total innings on the year. By eschewing innings in spring training and early in the minor league season, the Phillies hope that Painter can be a valuable multi-inning bullpen weapon for the big club down the stretch this year and throughout a hopefully deep playoff run. It all makes perfect sense, but that doesn't make it any easier for fans to sit idly by and wait even longer to see what Painter can do for their team once he is finally unleashed. Patience is being preached, and it's probably the best course of action, as hard as that can be to accept for fans wanting see Painter with the team as soon as possible.
It's unclear as to whether Painter will get any starts in 2025, or if the Phillies will push that scenario to 2026. With the recent acquisition of Jesús Luzardo to bolster the rotation, the Phillies shouldn't have to force the issue anytime soon, barring a long-term injury to someone. Will Painter eventually take the spot of Ranger Suárez if the latter leaves via trade or free agency at some point? One thing's for sure — you can never have enough pitching, and the Phillies are taking steps to preserve Andrew Painter's powerful arm for as long as they can. Because they are going to need him.
As Dombrowski has said, we shouldn't expect much more from the club this offseason, and it remains to be seen what kind of steps the Phillies might take during the 2025 campaign if they find themselves in need of a shakeup. But having Andrew Painter in their back pocket could make all the difference if they deploy him the right way and their patient approach proves to be correct. If that happens, Painter's impact will have been well worth the long, long wait.