Minor League Baseball

Here's When Philadelphia Phillies Top Prospect Could Join Major League Roster

Andrew Painter appeared in a regular season game for the first time since 2022 on Friday and the Phillies have plans for him to be in the big leagues later this summer.
Brady Farkas|
Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Andrew Painter (76) participates in media day at BayCare Ballpark on Feb. 20.
Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Andrew Painter (76) participates in media day at BayCare Ballpark on Feb. 20. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

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Philadelphia Phillies

According to Philadelphia Phillies' president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, top prospect Andrew Painter could be in the big leagues "July-ish."

That comes from a recent report on MLB.com:

Painter is the No. 7 prospect in baseball and the top-rated Phillies prospect. Still just 22 years old, he made his first appearance for Single-A Clearwater on Friday, tossing 1.1 innings, giving up two hits, two earned runs and striking out three. He hadn't pitched in a regular season game since 2022 because of Tommy John surgery underwent in 2023 and recovery last year. He reached as high as Double-A in 2022, going 2-1 over five starts.

There's no telling how the Phillies will handle his rehab, but it would make sense that he'll be promoted to at least Double-A again before getting to the big leagues.

He did appear in games during the Arizona Fall League season, so he has had game experience since 2022, but Friday was still a big step for him.

Per a portion of his MLB.com prospect profile:

During his time in the Fall League, Painter showed that in many ways he was the same premium prospect with a legitimate four-pitch mix, albeit with a little twist. His plus heater was touching 100 mph again and averaged 97 in the fall with plenty of ride up in the zone, he dropped in his low-80s curve for strikes and his above-average changeup got better as the fall season wore on. The new wrinkle for the 6-foot-7 right-hander was a harder slider with cutter-like action thrown in the upper 80s, replacing what had been more of a sweeper. 

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is the senior writer for “Minor League Baseball on SI’’ and the host of “The Payoff Pitch’’ podcast, which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. Follow Brady on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady.

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