How Did Andrew Painter Do in His Return to the Mound in the Arizona Fall League?

The Philadelphia Phillies superstar prospect returned to the mound for the first time in two years.

Feb 23, 2023; Clearwater, FL, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Andrew Painter (76) during photo day at BayCare Ballpark / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies are no longer playing baseball this season, but some of their top prospects are in action during the Arizona Fall League.

It was originally announced they would be sending nine of their prospects to represent the team, with many of them being some of the best in their pipeline.

At first, the headliners were shortstop Bryan Rincon and outfielder Gabriel Rincones Jr. who rank No. 10 and No. 11 in their farm system respectively, but at a later date, it was then revealed the Phillies were sending their superstar pitching prospect Andrew Painter to the AFL as well.

Painter has not pitched in two years following his Tommy John surgery, so getting him back on the mound in a competitive environment was a huge step for him and the organization as they eye potentially having him on their Major League roster in 2025.

So, how did he do during his first appearance?

The results were mixed.

Painter went two innings, giving up two earned runs with one of them being a solo homer. All of that damage came during his second frame where he gave up the leadoff blast, walked a batter, and allowed an RBI double.

But there were also positives to take away.

In his first inning pitched, he went three up, three down on nine pitches where he got New York Mets second baseman Jeff McNeil to fly out and struck out San Francisco Giants No. 1 prospect Bryce Eldridge.

Painter also hit triple digits with his fastball, something that signals he has recovered nicely from the elbow procedure.

But the most important thing was he remained healthy and feels healthy.

"Obviously, the results weren't exactly what I wanted. But the arm's healthy and that was the biggest takeaway. Everything felt like it was coming out good. I felt like my old self, so that's all I can really take away from that," he said per Jack Vita in a piece for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The future is bright for the former top pitching prospect in all of minor league baseball prior to his injury, and getting back on the mound is a step in the right direction to get his career back on track.

Painter is expected to throw 20 innings during his time in the Arizona Fall League, so that should give him some much needed experience before he heads into spring camp.