Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. John Geliebter-Imagn Images

Dave Dombrowski clarifies comments on Phillies top pitching prospect

By Zachary Cariola | Last updated Oct 1, 2025 8:45 AM ET

The Philadelphia Phillies enter the postseason with one of the best starting pitching rotations, even without ace Zack Wheeler, who had successful surgery on his shoulder in September.

In addition to a strong rotation in the big leagues, the Phillies boast one of the game's top pitching prospects, Andrew Painter, who is ranked as the 10th-best prospect in baseball. Many thought Painter would be up in the big leagues this season, and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has previously hinted Painter could be up around “July-ish.”

With it now being October and Painter not debuting this season or making the postseason roster, Dombrowski clarified his comments while meeting with the media on Tuesday.

“I said he would be able to join," Dombrowski said. "I didn’t say he was going to join.”

Dave Dombrowski clarified Andrew Painter’s “July-ish” timeline to @TimKellySports:

“I said he would be ABLE to join, I didn’t say he was GOING to join.”

(via @GraceDelPizzo) pic.twitter.com/X5aeggH0ak
— On Pattison (@OnPattison) September 30, 2025

Painter didn’t perform well enough to earn a spot

Even though he’s a top prospect, Painter didn’t perform well enough this season to earn a promotion to the big leagues. Pitching in Double-A and Triple-A , Painter struggled in 22 starts with the Leigh Valley IronPigs (Triple-A), posting a 5-6 record and 5.40 ERA, with opposing hitters having a .281 batting average this season.

Outside of May, when he went 2-1 with a 3.43 ERA in five starts, Painter had an ERA above 4.50 for the rest of the season. August was his worst month, with a 7.77 ERA in five starts. He had16 walks in 24.1 innings and allowed opponents to have a .307 batting average against him in August.

Considering the Phillies rotation is stacked at the big league level, Painter would have had to post much better numbers to warrant consideration for a promotion.

Painter will be in the Phillies' 2026 plans

Even though he didn’t debut this season, Painter will likely be on the Opening Day roster next season. With Ranger Suarez entering free agency, Painter could take his spot in the rotation.

There’s a chance Suarez could return, and the Phillies make other moves, such as trading Taijuan Walker in the offseason, who increased his value after a down year in 2024.

Whatever the case, Painter will likely be in the big leagues one way or another next season.

Zachary Cariola

My name is Zachary Cariola and I have been a sports fan for as long as I can remember. My areas of expertise are MLB, NBA, and NFL. You can find my other work on Southside Showdown from FanSided and at Chicitysports where I cover all Chicago sports. When not watching sports, I love spending time with my family and learning history.

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