Phillies phenom improving but no closer to pitching
Andrew Painter nearly made the Philadelphia Phillies starting rotation before his 20th birthday. While the idea seemed like a longshot at the start of spring training, the right-hander's performance early in camp put him on the map for real before an elbow injury (diagnosed as a sprained UCL) shut things down completely.
Painter was scheduled to face live hitters again for the first time this past week, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer's Alex Coffey, but he felt some discomfort in his elbow. Instead, the team had him throw a bullpen session on Wednesday, but after he reported more discomfort on Thursday he was sent for additional testing.
The Phillies got good news.
Coffey notes that the Phillies are still optimistic that Painter will be able to help them this year, but there is no timeline in place.
At this point, anything Philadelphia is able to get from Painter this season will be a bonus. Even if he's cleared to resume a full throwing program again in two or three weeks he will need some time to ramp back up to game-shape. That could put his arrival with the Phillies in late August, at the earliest, provided there are no further setbacks.
The Phillies are 48-40 entering play Sunday, putting them 12 games back in the NL East and a half game ahead of San Francisco for the last wild card spot. Adding Andrew Painter to the pitching staff -- even if just in a bullpen role for the remainder of the season -- would certainly be a boost for the Phillies, but don't expect the team to rush their 20-year-old phenom if it risks his future.
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