The Philadelphia Phillies hope to see prized pitching prospect Andrew Painter up in the majors this summer, but not before he makes a stop in Triple-A. Painter will be making the first Triple-A start of his career on Thursday as he continues to get back into form after his 2023 Tommy John surgery.
As a top-10 prospect in the sport according to MLB Pipeline, there’s more hype surrounding Painter than any Phillies prospect in recent memory. The good news for Phillies fans is that there’s a way to watch the 22-year-old right-hander in his first start with Lehigh Valley.
Rehabbing Andrew Painter making first start for Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Thursday
This is exciting news for both the Phillies and their fans, as Painter’s highest level of professional ball came with Double-A Reading in 2022. Fans can catch Painter’s first start with the IronPigs on Thursday at 6:45 p.m. ET for free at MLB.com, as it is that day’s free minor league game of the night.
But why should Phillies fans be excited about Painter and this start in particular?
For many Phillies fans, Thursday’s start will be the first time they’re able to watch the 6-foot-7 righty blow hitters away with his upper-90s fastball and wicked slider. He’ll be facing the Boston Red Sox’s Triple-A affiliate, the Worcester Red Sox, headlined by mega-prospects Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer
Drafted in the first round (13th overall) by the Phillies in 2021, Painter has rapidly shot up prospect ranking lists and remains a consensus top prospect, even after being forced to miss all of 2023 and 2024 recovering from Tommy John surgery after experiencing elbow pain during his first 2023 spring training start.
In his only full season, Painter spent 2022 pitching across three minor league levels, going from Low-A Clearwater to High-A Jersey Shore, and ending the year in Reading. His stats that year were ridiculously sharp for a 19-year-old, with a 1.56 ERA over 103 2/3 innings pitched and 155 strikeouts to just 25 walks. That’s just unheard of command for a pitcher his age. Painter excelled in his long-awaited return to the mound in the Arizona Fall League last year, with a 2.30 ERA in a limited 15 2/3 inning sample size.
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