1 Major Reason Andrew Painter Is Struggling To Succeed With Phillies

There were high expectations for Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Andrew Painter coming into the 2026 MLB season.

One of the best pitching prospects in baseball and a top-ranked prospect in the Phillies’ organization, he was expected to make an immediate impact with the Big League team. Unfortunately, that has not yet come to fruition.

Painter has made 12 appearances thus far during his rookie season, with 11 starts. His outing against the Arizona Diamondbacks was an adventure in itself as he dealt with migraines early in the day, but felt good enough to come out of the bullpen for five strong innings.

That was one of his best outings of the year, and he has had a few others mixed in. Consistency has been lacking, and there is one major reason for his underwhelming performance: his fastball.

Andrew Painter's fastball has not recovered since Tommy John surgery

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Andrew Painter (24) delivers a pitch in the second inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers. — May 31, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Andrew Painter (24) delivers a pitch in the second inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. | William Liang-Imagn Images

Painter used his fastball less against the Chicago White Sox in his last start, only 27 times, which was tied for the second fewest times he has thrown it in an outing this year. Despite scaling back the usage, the production was still ghastly.

As shared by Charlotte Varnes and Matt Gelb of The Athletic (subscription required), opponents are batting .390 off of Painter’s fastball this season, which is the fifth-worst mark amongst starting pitchers in the MLB. They are punishing the offer as well with a .585 slugging percentage.

Two issues have plagued him since his return from Tommy John surgery when it comes to his four-seam fastball. The pitch isn’t moving as much as it once did, and he is struggling to control it.

Those issues existed when he was pitching for Triple-A Lehigh Valley in 2025 and have unfortunately carried over into the Major Leagues, where hitters are taking full advantage of his struggles.

Struggling with command doesn’t necessarily mean walking a ton of opponents either. Painter’s 7.3% walk rate is below the MLB average, but he is missing too often in the zone. He has surrendered 11 home runs thus far, with his 4.2% home run rate being well above the 2.9% average.

Former Phillies pitcher Chad Durbin breaks down exactly what's going wrong for Andrew Painter right now.

"He's got pretty good composure, but inevitably, he's a little overwhelmed with getting hit." pic.twitter.com/pAFJ4xMNsw
— ThePhilliesShow (@ThePhilliesShow) June 12, 2026

Before he took the mound against the White Sox in his last start, pitching coach Caleb Cotham believed that Painter was starting to find the shape he had been looking for, which should lead to more consistency.

“When the shape is consistent, the control is good and the command emerges from that,” Cotham said. “I have seen good adjustments in the ball flight the last month. I think that coincides with lower usage, which isn’t straightforward. But he does have a lot of weapons. So I think the goal is never to do this or that. That goal’s to get outs. He has so many options, so it’s just kind of the balance of his mix.”

It certainly didn’t translate to success against Chicago. Painter threw 4.2 innings and allowed six earned runs, serving up two more long balls, in his seventh loss of the season.

Philadelphia is certainly hoping he can figure something out soon, because he isn’t giving the team much of a chance to win any time he takes the mound. The Phillies are 3-9 in games he has appeared in, and he has only one victory on his ledger.

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