The Philadelphia Phillies made a roster move with Andrew Painter after his start against the Miami Marlins.
“It’s something we’ll probably talk about.”
Philadelphia Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly was noncommittal on whether or not Andrew Painter would make his next start after allowing 6.0 earned runs in two innings of work against the Miami Marlins on Wednesday afternoon.
Despite being a rookie, Painter had an opportunity to secure a place in Philadelphia’s rotation for the foreseeable future during the 2026 season.
Now, that is up in the air, as the Philies made the roster decision on Wednesday, shortly after Painter’s outing to option him to Triple-A. The team has not announced a corresponding move yet.
Growing pains and learning curves were always expected for the rookie pitcher, but it’s gotten to the point where the Phillies can’t ignore Painter’s struggles on the mound. His season ERA is up to 7.06 with a 1.66 WHIP, and he has a 12.066 ERA over his last four outings alone.
Painter’s biggest issue, and what needs the most work, is no secret; his fastball is getting hit hard right now.
This pitch alone has an opponent batting average of .382 and a slugging percentage of .573. Sure, the velocity on Painter’s heater is strong, coming in at 96.5 mph, but that’s just resulted in the average exit velocity being 88.6 mph.
Jun 17, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Andrew Painter (24) stands on the mound against the Miami Marlins in the first inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn ImagesWithout having command of the fastball, there’s no way Painter can get anything else in his arsenal to work, too.
Painter admitted after the game that his season up to this point has been “frusterating.”
“You want to go out there and have success all the time. Not be able to do that has been very hard,” said the starting pitcher after the game.
The Phillies are in a tough spot with Painter. Yes, he still has plenty of potential and is young enough that the team shouldn’t just give up on him, but Philadelphia is trying to win a World Series this season. With the way Painter has pitched, it just looks like he’s ready to compete at that level, yet.
Pitching depth isn’t something that the Phillies have waiting in the wings.
Sending down Painter creates a void in Philadelphia’s rotation, and the front office has a lot of decisions to make over the next few days to determine who will start in his place, but optioning the 23-year-old was a move the team needed to make.
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