Does Andrew Painter have an innings limit? Phillies plan for rookie pitcher revealed

The Philadelphia Phillies are sending out one of the best starting rotations in all of Major League Baseball. Cristopher Sanchez is the Cy Young favorite, Zack Wheeler is still incredible, Jesus Luzardo has been good, and Aaron Nola has his moments.

But the production from rookie starter Andrew Painter might be one of the more intriguing storylines of the season for the Phillies. Seeing the rookie right-hander pitch well is a huge topic for the team this season and into the future.

While his performance is important, there is also an important question: Does Painter have an innings limit this season? Matt Gelb of The Athletic cleared the air on the Phillies plan with Painter, which is an interesting plan that some other teams might not employ.

Phillies' Andrew Painter innings limit revealed

"I think the Phillies have had a wise plan for managing Andrew Painter's rookie season," Gelb writes. "They have looked for every chance to give him an extra day - or even two - of rest. ...There is no innings cap for Painter in 2026, and the Phillies expect him to eclipse the 118 innings he pitched in the minors last season."

There is no innings limit for Painter during his rookie season. This is noteworthy, as there are other teams around baseball, like the Cincinnati Reds with Chase Burns, that are imposing an innings limit on their young pitchers.

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The Pittsburgh Pirates had an innings limit on Paul Skenes in his rookie season, and there are sure to be other teams imposing innings limits on their pitchers this season.

While the Phillies might be trying to give Painter as much rest as possible throughout the season, as seen with his start being pushed back a day during this Los Angeles Dodgers series, the Phillies aren't holding Painter back from making his starts.

It wouldn't be a surprise if the Phillies did limit Painter's innings, but this report from Gelb makes it clear that Dave Dombrowski and company aren't going to hold the young right-hander back from maintaining a spot in the rotation.

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