Mar 30, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Andrew Painter (76) in the dugout against the Washington Nationals during the third inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images Eric Hartline
PHILADELPHIA — When rookie pitcher Andrew Painter made his way to his locker in the Phillies clubhouse about three hours before making his major league debut, he turned the white jersey with red pinstripes so he could see his name across the back and his No. 24.
And so it begins.
The much-anticipated first start for the prized prospect is finally here after Tommy John surgery and a tough year in the minors. The 6-foot-7 Painter appeared calm as he strolled through the clubhouse before facing the Washington Nationals. It is no surprise to his manager, Rob Thomson.
"I just want him to go out there and be himself, because his stuff is good," said Thomson. "Keep his composure, which I'm sure he will, just knowing the person. But I'm excited for him. It's always exciting for a guy making his debut."
Some expected it to be much sooner, of course. After being taken with the 13th overall pick in the 2021 draft and breezing through a minor league season in 2022 in which he compiled a 1.56 ERA in 22 starts across three levels, Painter rose as high as the No. 6 overall prospect in MLB.com's Top 100 rankings entering the 2023 season. But elbow soreness ultimately led to the surgery that would sideline him for close to two years.
While the perhaps premature hope of many last season was for Painter to spend some time with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs before joining the Phillies, his struggles kept him down there, which ultimately was OK with the brass. He got in his 22 starts, close to 107 innings and worked his repaired arm into shape to get him to this point.
"Command," said Thomson of what he wants to see from Painter. "The stuff was there last year, the velocity was there. I think he got a little fatigued at the end of the season and the slot started to drop. It's back up now and his command's been really good in Spring Training."
And Painter is now one of the rotation guys. During Monday's loss to the Nationals, Thomson saw a good sign for his young pitcher in the dugout of a blowout loss.
"They were all huddled in here yesterday during the game," Thomson said. "I was watching on TV, unfortunately (after being ejected in the first inning), but they panned the dugout and the three of them, Wheels (Zack Wheeler), (Aaron) Nola and Painter were all standing there talking, so it was good to see."
The struggles of the Phillies (1-3) so far isn't something Thomson thinks will enter the mind of Painter in his debut, simply because that's not the makeup of the right hander.
"I don't think so," said Thomson. "This guy's a pretty poised guy. He's mature beyond his years. I think he's in a pretty good spot. Just throwing strikes. Command the fastball, throw the off-speed where he wants to throw it and, really, if he does that he's going to have success."
For many years, the organization hopes.
