Mar 7, 2026; Clearwater, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Andrew Painter (76) at BayCare Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Phillies Finalize Opening Day Rotation With Andrew Painter Decision

Originally posted on Minor League Baseball on SI
By Justin Binkowski | Last updated Mar 20, 2026 8:02 PM ET

One of the Philadelphia Phillies' top prospects, right-handed pitcher Andrew Painter, now knows whether he's starting the 2026 season in the majors or minors.

Painter, Philadelphia's No. 2 prospect and MLB Pipeline's No. 28 overall prospect for 2026, will begin the year in the big league rotation, Phillies manager Rob Thomson announced on Friday. The 22-year-old is currently scheduled to start Philadelphia's fifth game of the season against the Washington Nationals, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki.

This tentatively sets up the highly touted pitching prospect to make his long-anticipated major league debut on Tuesday, March 31. Painter has produced solid numbers this spring, posting a 2.31 ERA with eight strikeouts over 11 2/3 innings pitched. And now, the 2021 first-round draft pick will get the opportunity to showcase his talent on a big league mound.

Andrew Painter's performance could directly impact how the Phillies handle Zack Wheeler's return

Many Phillies fans are likely thrilled by the news of Painter cracking the Opening Day rotation. But arguably even more importantly for the team as a whole, how well the 6-foot-7 righty pitches to start his major league career could influence Philadelphia's plans for injured ace Zack Wheeler.

Wheeler is still recovering from the thoracic outlet decompression surgery that ended his 2025 season, and the 35-year-old will likely begin the year on the injured list. If Painter performs well in his first few big league starts, that could buy more time for Wheeler to get back to full health. But if the 22-year-old struggles out of the gate or another starter gets injured, that could put Philadelphia in a tricky situation as far as its rehab plan for the three-time All-Star is concerned.

Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto even compared Painter to Wheeler earlier in spring training, so the bar has been set high for the young righty before he even throws his first major league pitch. The soon-to-be 23-year-old did miss two full minor league seasons in 2023 and 2024, though, after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Despite returning last year to throw 118 innings in 26 minor league starts, Philadelphia may still monitor Painter's workload this season. Regardless, the highly touted prospect has earned the chance to prove he's a big league pitcher later this month.

This article first appeared on Minor League Baseball on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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