Andrew Painter Set to Appear in First Affiliated Game For Philadelphia Phillies Since 2022

Painter, one of the top prospects in baseball, has been out for the last two seasons. He'll make his debut with Single-A Clearwater on Friday.

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Andrew Painter (76) walks onto the field before the start of a spring training workout at Carpenter Complex on Feb. 12. | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

After not making an appearance in affiliated baseball for the last two years, Philadelphia Phillies top prospect Andrew Painter is set to make his return on Friday.

According to Phillies Insider Todd Zolecki, Painter will start for Single-A Clearwater on Friday.

Andrew Painter is going to join Class A Clearwater and start on Friday.

— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) April 6, 2025

Painter is a consensus Top-50 prospect in baseball. The team is certainly excited about his prospects and development, but they will be understandably careful with him after he missed all of 2023 and 2024 with arm injury. He felt discomfort early in 2023 and then attempted to come back, before ultimately undergoing Tommy John surgery.

He made a sterling return in the Arizona Fall League last year, getting named the top pitcher in the developmental league. He threw 15.2 innings.

The Phillies already have a loaded rotation with Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler, Jesus Luzardo, Ranger Suarez, Cristopher Sanchez and Taijuan Walker, who is filling in for Suarez right now. As a result, the team can afford to be careful with Painter as they bring him back. It's also an option for them to use Painter out of the bullpen later in the year, preserving his health and giving the team another option for the stretch run.

Philadelphia won the National League East last season but was beaten in the National League Division Series by the New York Mets. They are off to a solid start in 2025 and entered play on Sunday at 6-2 and ready to finish out a series with the reigning World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

Related MiLB Stories

HARRY FORD MAKES RAINIERS HISTORY: Tacoma Rainiers catcher Harry Ford did something on Wednesday that hasn't been done in the last 18 years. CLICK HERE:

TOMATO PIE, ANYONE? The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are adopting a new identity this May, but what does it mean? CLICK HERE:

GETTING CYCLICAL: Drew Waters, a former top prospect now with the Royals' Triple-A affiliate, became the first player in MiLB to hit for the cycle this year. CLICK HERE: