The Philadelphia Phillies’ No. 1 prospect Andrew Painter was trending to potentially make the Phillies’ Opening Day roster as a 19-year-old out of spring training. The hopes of having the talented, young right-hander make his Major League debut in Philadelphia were dashed as Painter was shelved with a UCL injury after just one Grapefruit League appearance.
After news of the injury broke, Phillies fans held their breath as they awaited news on the most anticipated prospect appearance since Domonic Brown in 2010. When it was announced that Painter would not require surgery— just rest for the time being— everyone could exhale.
While the recovery process has been slow and updates on the top prospect have been few and far between, it appears that Painter is making progress. Rob Thomson gave an update on Painter’s progress this week and reported that the prospect has been throwing bullpen sessions. Thomson reported that the bullpen sessions have been going well and that Painter “felt great” after a 30-pitch session this week.
Thomson also gave an interview on WIP’s Morning Show on Wednesday morning. He indicated that the Phillies are taking Painter’s rehab very slow so as not to aggravate the injury. You can listen to an excerpt of the interview in the Tweet below:
The Phillies are wise to bring Painter back slowly. He is just 20 years old and there really is no rush in bringing him up to the big leagues. The club will want to make sure he is 110% before allowing him to make a rehab appearance.
The next step in Painter’s recovery will be pitching live batting practice and facing hitters. There is still hope that Painter can contribute to the Major League club later in the season. If and when Painter does return, the club will bring him back slowly. He could be a contributing factor down the stretch should the Phillies find themselves in another playoff race.
Phillies’ rotation has improved
Now that the Phillies’ rotation has settled in, there is less urgency to bring Painter— or other prospects— up too soon. While the starting pitchers struggled to begin the season, the rotation has really turned it around in recent weeks. They have been one of the best rotations in Major League Baseball in the month of June so far. They will look to continue their dominance this homestand against two division rivals.
The fifth spot in the rotation is still a question mark and really has been all season to this point. It appears that Cristopher Sanchez will hold the spot temporarily as he pitched well in Oakland last weekend. He is scheduled to start against the New York Mets on Friday in the series opener.
