Rob Thomson Gives Worrying Update on Phillies’ Andrew Painter Plan originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Philadelphia Phillies have arguably the best pitching prospect in the world with Andrew Painter. Unfortunately, Painter has dealt with some injuries, and he’s still recovering from elbow surgery.
The Phillies decided that he won’t pitch in the All-Star Futures game, but the hope is for him to eventually make his big league debut.
“We will keep him on our plan,” manager Rob Thomson said Monday, per ESPN. “There’s nothing that says he’s coming up here at all. He’s got to be healthy. He’s got to be pitching well. We’ve said that all along.”
Despite the plan for him to throw sometime after the All-Star break, when asked about the situation on Wednesday, Thomson didn’t exactly sound like it’s certain that he’ll be called up in the near future.
He was asked if the Phillies still believe he won’t be with them prior to the All-Star break.
“Yes,” Thomson said, per On Pattison.
When asked if there’s any flexibility on that, Thomson was unsure.
“I don’t think so,” Thomson said.
It’s somewhat concerning that the Phillies are being stubborn about the situation.
However, they’re doing it in the best interest of Painter in their mind.
The last thing they want is for the hard-throwing right-hander to get injured, and he only has 161.1 innings pitched under his belt in the minors.
Yes, he had an injury that kept him out for two years, but 161.1 Innings isn’t exactly ideal.
In Triple-A this year, he hasn’t been as dominant as some were hoping for, posting a 4.24 ERA and only 45 strikeouts in 40.1 innings.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 4, 2025, where it first appeared.