Did Optioning Mick Abel Change Phillies' Plan for Andrew Painter?

The Philadelphia Phillies optioning rookie pitcher Mick Abel on Friday certainly disrupted some of their pitching plans for the remaining first half of the season.

But one area it did not impact was the timeline for top pitching prospect Andrew Painter.

During an interview with local media on Friday, Phillies manager Rob Thomson said that Painter was not considered for Abel’s spot in the rotation.

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The Philadelphia Inquirer’s (subscription required) Lochlahn March was among those to report Thompson’s comments.

The plan all along was for Painter to join Philadelphia’s staff at some point in the second half of the year. Abel’s demotion after two rough starts — or the decision to insert Taijuan Walker into the rotation next Tuesday — did nothing to change it.

Painter will stay on schedule at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, where he started for the Iron Pigs on Thursday. He is expected to start two more times before the MLB All-Star break on Tuesday and next Sunday, per March.

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Painter, the Phillies’ first-round pick in 2021, threw five innings on Thursday and gave up four earned runs on seven hits. He struck out seven and walked one. Thomson told reporters that he watched tape of Painter’s start.

“Four really good innings, and in the fourth inning he gave up four runs,” he said. “Gave up some hits. He left the ball over the plate, but he got a lot of swing and miss in the other four innings.”

Painter remains one of baseball’s top prospects. He is No. 10 in the MLB Pipeline Top 100 and is considered the franchise’s top overall prospect.

The right-hander is 3-4 with a 4.45 ERA in 14 starts in 2025, with 64 strikeouts and 20 walks in 56.2 innings.

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Painter was a candidate for the 2023 starting rotation after he went 6-2 with a 1.56 ERA in 22 starts, with 155 strikeouts and 25 walks in 103.2 innings.

But an elbow injury derailed his career. It eventually required Tommy John surgery, which erased his entire 2023 and 2024 seasons.

Last year, he threw in the Arizona Fall League, where he was named Pitcher of the Year after he threw 15.2 innings with a 2.30 ERA, a 0.89 WHIP and a .189 batting average against. He also struck out 18 and walked four while posting a 31 percent miss rate.

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