Phillies Give Surprising Thoughts on Recent Struggles of Andrew Painter

The Philadelphia Phillies might have dropped a more specific hint on when they are planning to call up their star pitching prospect Andrew Painter, but that still comes with some contingencies.

While July was always the rough timeline, that also required Painter to be pitching well before they promoted him for his Major League debut.

Well, he has hit a rough patch.

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In his last two starts with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, he has allowed 10 earned runs in nine innings pitched, a stretch that culminated with his worst performance of the season when he was shelled for six earned runs on eight hits in five innings, striking out just four batters while giving up two longballs.

Hearing that might be alarming for some.

After all, Painter has been tabbed as the future ace of this franchise ever since he was taken 13th overall in the 2021 draft. And when he missed two years because of Tommy John surgery, the anticipation to see what he looked like when he returned became palpable.

However, the Phillies offered a surprise take on what Painter is going through right now.

"That's what the minor leagues are for ... It's all part of growth. At times, [struggling in the minors] is a good thing. He's going to have bad starts here and there," Rob Thomson said, per Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer (subscription required).

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This isn't to say Philadelphia wouldn't have loved to see the superstar prospect dominate the Triple-A level before getting called up. But they also believe this could help him in the long run.

"A lot of guys go through high school, college, even sometimes in the minor leagues where they don't have any failure. And then, all of a sudden, they get to the big leagues and fail for the first time and they really don't know how to get out of it," Thomson added.

Will this affect the Phillies' plans for Painter's promotion?

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Only if the struggles are extended and they have to reassess what's going on with him.

Right now, though, they are welcoming the tough stretch that he's going through and think he'll be a better pitcher because of it.

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