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The Philadelphia Phillies are poised for a major addition to the roster next season.
After a rough 2024 campaign from 12-year veteran Taijuan Walker, the team has a clear opening at the tail end of its starting rotation. And they now expect to fill it with top pitching prospect Andrew Painter by the end of next season after an extended rehabilitation process.
“He’s on course to make his major league debut in 2025, two years later than expected,” Scott Lauber reported for The Philadelphia Inquirer. “It’s less likely to be before his 22nd birthday in April than closer to the All-Star break, when he could still be the youngest pitcher to start a game for the Phillies since Zach Eflin in 2016.”
The Phillies picked Painter in the first round of the 2021 Major League Baseball draft and he tore a ligament in his elbow in a 2023 spring-training start. He eventually had Tommy John surgery and has now returned to competition with some impressive starts in the Arizona Fall League. In six starts there, he’s pitched 15.2 innings and totaled 18 strikeouts with a 2.30 ERA.
Outlining the team’s plan for Painter at this point, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowksi emphasized the hope that he’d play a critical role in a push for the postseason.
“My instincts tell me you really want him available later in the year to pitch because he’s so important for you in that regard,” Dombrowski told Lauber.
Lauber added that the Phillies’ plan for Painter is built around the comebacks of pitchers who have had Tommy John surgery at a similar age and point in the season, like the Miami Marlins’ Max Meyer and the Tampa Bay Rays’ Shane Baz. But one comparison the Phillies made should have fans particularly excited for Painter’s debut plan.
“Dombrowksi used the Pirates’ handling of Paul Skenes this season as an example,” Lauber added. “It isn’t apples-to-apples, because Skenes wasn’t coming off surgery. But the flamethrowing 22-year-old did face an innings limit in his first full pro season and made it to the finish line without being shut down.”
With the Phillies now planning on a second-half return for Painter, they might feel that their biggest rotation question for 2025 is more or less answered. Fans and the front office alike have some reason to hope for a memorable big-league debut next year.
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Peter Chawaga is a veteran journalist covering Major League Baseball for The Sporting News. His MLB reporting has included feature interviews with commissioner Rob Manfred and Hall of Fame slugger David Ortiz, salary analysis, player rankings and more. He has covered baseball for Forbes, Yardbarker, Pitcher List, Athlon and other outlets.
With over ten years of newsroom experience, he has previously covered finance, technology, arts, and culture for newspapers, magazines, and websites nationwide. He graduated from Wake Forest University with a degree in English and journalism.
English (US)