Philly Leader

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Andrew Painter, Philadelphia's top-ranked pitching prospect, returned to the mound in Arizona Fall League play after undergoing Tommy John surgery in July 2023. Painter made his first game appearance since March 2023 at Scottsdale Stadium, where an ambulance siren coincidentally sounded as he warmed up.

During the game, Painter showcased a fastball reaching 99-100 mph and struck out Giants prospect Bryce Eldridge with a breaking ball. However, his second inning was challenging; he allowed a home run to Tigers' Josue Briceño and an RBI later in the inning. Overall, Painter threw 29 pitches with two runs on three hits and one walk, achieving two strikeouts.

Reflecting on his performance, Painter stated: "I thought obviously the results weren't exactly what I wanted, but arm's healthy and that was the biggest takeaway."

Before his surgery, Painter was recognized as one of the most dominant Minor League pitching prospects from high school ranks in recent years. He climbed to Double-A Reading as a 19-year-old due to his impressive performance across four levels.

In early 2023, Painter was MLB Pipeline’s top-ranked pitching prospect but faced setbacks after a Grapefruit League outing led to an elbow shutdown attempt before opting for surgery by summer.

Painter described this period as "more of a new chapter," noting that "it's a new elbow, so I'm a new person now."

At just 21 years old, Painter acknowledged both physical and mental challenges during recovery. He praised Dr. Traci Statler at the Phillies’ complex for supporting him mentally through rehabilitation.

“Baseball's been my thing growing up...Getting that taken away from me...made me appreciate the game so much more,” said Painter.

Looking ahead, Painter is expected to pitch around 20 innings over upcoming weeks with Glendale Desert Dogs before competing for a major league rotation spot in 2025 despite limited action since late 2022 when he pitched only at Double-A level.

Phillies president Dave Dombrowski expressed confidence in Painter’s future: “I do think he’ll be pitching at the big league level at some point in ‘25.”

Painter shared thoughts on participating in Fall League focusing primarily on rehabilitation rather than setting distant goals until ready: “End goal is always pitching in the big leagues…and pitching...for a while.”