Phillies' Andrew Painter is Suddenly Becoming Untouchable

Earlier this season, Andrew Painter was nothing short of an unmitigated disaster for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Over his first 14 outings, Painter posted a 7.06 ERA and 1.66 WHIP, surrendering 14 home runs over 65 innings. He made it through six innings just twice during that span, and it had become obvious that he needed a reset.

The Phillies demoted him back down to Triple-A, where he spent some time rediscovering his mojo before he was brought back up to the big leagues in late July.

Since then, Painter looks like a different pitcher.

In seven starts since his return to the majors, Painter has logged a 3.12 ERA while allowing just 23 hits across 40.1 frames. He has given up three homers, which pales in comparison to the 14 he coughed up prior.

Opponents are batting just .163 against the right-hander, and his 2.9 BB/9 has improved from his 3.3 BB/9 earlier in the season.

The strikeouts are still not quite where Philadelphia would want them, but, at the very least, Painter is getting outs.

And while the Phillies lost by a score of 1-0 to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday, it represented Painter's best performance yet, as he tossed seven scoreless innings of two-hit ball. He didn't walk anyone, and he threw just 93 pitches.

Suddenly, the 23-year-old is demonstrating why he was so highly touted in Philadelphia's organization, and he is making an untouchable case with the offseason just around the corner.

While Cristopher Sanchez and Jesus Luzardo aren't going anywhere any time soon, Zack Wheeler is now 36 years old and has shown some concerning signs this season. Next year marks the last year of his contract, and while he certainly isn't doomed in Philly, a world exists in which Painter could replace him as the club's No. 3 starter.

Remember: Painter was dominant in the Phillies' minor-league system in 2021, pitching to the tune of a 1.56 ERA, 0.887 WHIP and 13.5 K/9 across 22 starts Low-A, High-A and Double-A ball. He then underwent Tommy John surgery and missed all of the 2023 and 2024 campaigns.

The former first-round pick returned in 2025, but struggled mightily in Triple-A, finishing with a 5.40 ERA at Lehigh Valley. That didn't stop Philadelphia from placing him in its big-league rotation this spring, and that was obviously mistake.

It's becoming increasingly obvious that the Phillies rushed Painter back in Spring Training. He wasn't ready. But perhaps it ended up working out in the end, because he has bounced back, regained his composure and is now pitching like a potential frontline starter.

Teams will certainly be asking about Painter this winter, but if Painter keeps performing like this, Philadelphia might as well deem him untouchable.