Andrew Painter has great final spring start for Phillies that quells concerns for 2026

The Philadelphia Phillies are going to be relying on some new faces in the 2026 season. Justin Crawford and Adolis Garcia are a few obvious new faces in Philadelphia's MLB lineup, but there are others of great importance as well.

Brad Keller, Kyle Buckhus, and Jonathan Bowlan are some new faces in the bullpen. But the most important newcomer is Andrew Painter, the Phillies' top pitching prospect. There have been some concerns with his fastball and overall ability at times this spring.

However, as Matt Gelb of The Athletic noted after his Wednesday start against the Atlanta Braves, in what might be Painter's last spring training start, he did exactly what the Phillies were hoping to get out of him heading into 2026.

Phillies get encouraging final start from Andrew Painter before 2026 MLB season

"In what was likely his last spring outing, Andrew Painter left quite an impression against a Braves lineup filled with regulars," Gelb writes. "Four scoreless. Showed a strong slider and sweeper combo with some nice change-ups. Held 96 mph."

Painter, closing out his spring training strong, is some huge news for the Phillies. Not only do the Phillies want Painter to succeed simply because he's a top prospect on their team, but also because of Zack Wheeler's injury.

Wheeler, the team's right-handed ace, will be out for a few weeks to begin the year. If Painter can pick up the slack, the Phillies will be in great shape for the 2026 season.

So far this spring training, Painter has a 2.31 ERA through four starts with eight strikeouts across 11.2 innings pitched.

This four-inning outing was the furthest he's gone in a game this spring, as his previous outings ended after three innings.

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Not only did Painter make it deeper into a game than he normally does, but he also allowed one hit and one walk against a solid Braves lineup.

Mauricio Dubon, Drake Baldwin, Matt Olson, Austin Riley, Ozzie Albies, and Michael Harris II were all in the lineup. Those are the likely Opening Day starters for the Braves.

Being able to not only pitch well but do so against some Major League talent is a great sign for the Phillies' young righty.

The 22-year-old has worked his way back from injury and has a lot of optimism for his MLB career.

There have been some worries about his game leading up to 2026, but this outing helps to quell those concerns as Painter and the Phillies gear up for a massive season.

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