Andrew Painter struck out three batters and had his fastball reach 100 miles per hour three times in his start for Single-A Clearwater on Friday.
It was the top Phillies prospect's 2025 debut and his first minor-league appearance since 2022 after undergoing a lengthy rehab from Tommy John surgery for the past two years.
The 22-year-old righthander struck out consecutive batters after giving up a lead-off single in the first inning, and was pulled in the second after allowing a single and a walk, with one more punch out in between.
The spot led to two earned runs being credited to Painter and, eventually, the losing decision in what stood as a 15-10 Threshers defeat to Daytona.
Painter threw 37 pitches in total (21 strikes), and finished with the following line: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K.
As the 13th overall draft pick from 2021, the Phillies – and their fans – have been waiting for Painter to make the climb into the MLB rotation for a long time, and Friday down in Florida marked a first and crucial step toward doing so after his 2023 surgery and rehab marked a substantial setback.
The Phillies, on numerous occasions now, have said that they expect Painter to get a major league call-up at some point later in the summer.
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