Phillies Make Andrew Painter Call-up Official Optioning Pitcher

May 13, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Andrew Painter (24) pitches against the Boston Red Sox during the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Phillies Make Andrew Painter Call-up Official Optioning Pitcher

Originally posted on Philadelphia Phillies on SI
By Kenneth Teape | Last updated Jul 31, 2026 4:07 PM ET

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The Philadelphia Phillies have been searching for answers at the backend of their rotation essentially all season long.

Production beyond their Big 3 of Cristopher Sanchez, Zack Wheeler and Jesus Luzardo has been hard to come by. Aaron Nola has not been consistent, but he has been a lot better than the No. 5 spot in the rotation.

The player who received the most opportunities in that spot was Andrew Painter, a top prospect coming into the 2026 season. He struggled mightily in his first stint with the Big League team and was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Now, he is back with the Phillies in another attempt to stabilize the rotation. He will be starting against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night, but a corresponding move had to be made so the move could be made official.

Phillies send Brian Keller to Triple-A to promote Andrew Painter

The corresponding move is Brian Keller heading back to Triple-A. He made his MLB debut against the New York Yankees on July 25 and performed rather well, pitching three innings as the bulk reliever behind Tim Mayza, who was the opener and tossed the first two frames.

Keller allowed only one run, a solo home run by Austin Wells, and struck out three. He will operate as organizational depth once again and is someone who could be called back up down the road to help eat innings.

For now, he will likely rejoin the starting rotation with Lehigh Valley, taking the spot that had been held for the last few weeks by Painter.

It will certainly be interesting to see what the former top prospect can provide Philadelphia in his second go-round in the Big Leagues. He had a ghastly 7.06 ERA in 65 innings before being demoted originally.

Prior to tonight's game against the Baltimore Orioles, the Phillies recalled RHP Andrew Painter from Lehigh Valley (AAA). To make room for him on the 26-man roster, RHP Brian Keller was optioned to Lehigh Valley.
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) July 31, 2026

While pitching for the IronPigs, Painter looked to be getting his confidence back. He was in the zone more, throwing strikes with the kind of consistency that was lacking in the Big Leagues. His fastball started showing better underlying numbers as well.

His return to form would be a major boost for a Phillies team that has not won a game started by anyone other than Sanchez, Wheeler or Luzardo since June 24. However, his return reportedly isn’t going to change the team’s plans ahead of the deadline.

Even with Painter back in the mix, Dave Dombrowski is still looking for starting pitching help ahead of the Aug. 3 deadline, and rightfully so.

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This article first appeared on Philadelphia Phillies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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