What to look for in Andrew Painter's first Phillies spring start since 2023

Andrew Painter is finally back in action. The Philadelphia Phillies' top pitching prospect finally looks ready to make the move to the big leagues that he was on the verge of making three springs ago. After missing two seasons and enduring well-documented struggles in 2025, Painter will make his long-awaited spring training debut on Sunday.

Painter last made a spring training start on March 1, 2023, exactly three years ago. He tossed two innings, giving up a run on three hits while recording one strikeout. But that was it for the 2021 first-round draft pick as the Phillies shut him down with a sprained UCL, which eventually resulted in Tommy John surgery.

So now that he's back, when the 22-year-old right-hander takes the bump at BayCare Ballpark against the New York Yankees this weekend, what should Phillies fans be watching for? Let's run through the simple checklist.

Here's what Phillies fans should watch for in Andrew Painter's spring debut on Sunday

Velocity

The first thing everyone will look for is Painter's velocity. His fastball has been one of the tools that has set him apart in prospect rankings. He averaged 96.6 mph with his four-seamer in Triple-A Lehigh Valley last season.

Painter's arm looked plenty alive during his first sessions this spring. J.T. Realmuto caught one of Painter's bullpens early in camp and raved about his velocity and stuff.

"He looks great. I caught his bullpen yesterday," Realmuto said. "Shoot, I want to say it was 98, 99 [mph]. It’s just easy. It doesn’t look like he’s throwing max effort ... It’s still coming out that firm … He is kind of like Wheeler. His stuff is so elite, and he’s still able to throw the ball on the edges."

Command

Once we know that Painter's velocity is okay, the next thing to look for is his command. Poor command, thanks to losing his arm slot due to fatigue, is what plagued him last season. The good news is that he worked to correct that over the offseason and it has carried over to his work this spring.

Manager Rob Thomson told reporters last week that Painter's command is back. So watch for Painter to be all around the strike zone and dot the edges with his nasty stuff.

"Command, it's back, so far, it's just bullpens," Thomson said. "I don't want to get ahead of myself, he hasn't faced hitters yet and obviously hasn't pitched in a game, but the command, look's like he's got it."

Results

We don't need or expect to see Painter strike out every batter he faces (wouldn't that be awesome?) but we will want to see him get through his scheduled (likely) two innings. Like every pitcher this time of year, the Phillies will keep track of his pitch count to make sure things don't get out of hand. It would be nice to see him complete his outing without running out of pitches and getting pulled early.

The actual results in the box score don't matter as much if he does everything else right. Sometimes baseball just happens. The good news is, if his velocity is there and he has his arm slot and command to control his elite stuff, this shouldn't be an issue.

Health

The most important thing, for both the Phillies and Painter, is that he makes it through his debut healthy. There's no reason to think he won't, although pitchers are more susceptible to injuries this time of year, as Painter well knows. He made it through a full 118-inning 2025 season healthy, which was top of mind for the organization.

Painter hasn't had any issues this spring and told MLB.com's Todd Zolecki last week that he has no limitations this season. Last year he was in camp but didn't pitch in games.

Sunday's start time is set for 1:05 p.m. ET so make sure you're in your seats or tuned in early to catch Painter, the future of the Phillies' rotation, in his first spring action in exactly three years.