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Philadelphia Phillies May Hold Back Top Prospect Andrew Painter in 2025

After all the injury concerns, the team could want to limit the workload of the top prospect next season.

Brady Farkas

A detailed view of a Philadelphia Phillies hat and glove on the bench against the Atlanta Braves in the seventh inning at Truist Park on May 26.
A detailed view of a Philadelphia Phillies hat and glove on the bench against the Atlanta Braves in the seventh inning at Truist Park on May 26. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images
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After getting to the playoffs each of the last three seasons, the Philadelphia Phillies want to win - badly.

The team got to the World Series in 2022, falling short against the Houston Astros, and then lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 7 of the NLCS in 2023 before winning the division and going out in the NLDS this past season.

The pressure and desire to win in Philly is real, but they apparently won't try to win at the expense of the health of top prospect Andrew Painter.

Per a recent article in The Athletic.

They have yet to plot Painter’s path for next season, but team officials have hinted at a modified season to keep him available for the final months. Painter made six shortened starts in the Arizona Fall League and logged 15 2/3 innings — good enough to earn the AFL’s top pitcher honor — but he will be limited during his first full season back from Tommy John surgery.

Outside of the Arizona Fall League, Painter hasn't pitched in a game since the 2022 season. The article also suggested that the team could hold him out of spring training action for the sake of keeping him more available down the stretch. He could act as either a starter or a reliever upon his promotion to the big leagues.

Painter is currently ranked as the No. 32 prospect in all of baseball, per MLB.com. He is the No. 2 prospect in the Phillies organization.

He went 6-2 in that 2022 season with a 1.56 ERA.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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