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Phillies Predicted to Make Strange Andrew Painter Decision

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Matthew Sullivan | Last updated Jun 14, 2025 12:35 PM ET

The Philadelphia Phillies have a good problem to have: they have at least seven quality starting pitchers on the roster. But, with the team having so many strong starters, the Phillies could be forced to make a strange decision when it comes to some of their starting pitchers.

In a prediction from Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report, the Phillies are predicted to call up top prospect Andrew Painter and begin his MLB career coming out of the bullpen.

"He could be utilized in a multi-inning relief role when he first breaks into the big leagues as a means of continuing to limit his innings," Reuter writes. "With guys like Chris Sale, Corbin Burnes, and Walker Buehler starting their big league careers in similar fashion."

Reuter's prediction of the Phillies calling up Painter and using him out of the bullpen makes sense in theory. With a depleted bullpen after lackluster starts ot the year from Jordan Romano and the rest of the bullpen, adding someone of Painter's talents to the bullpen would be a huge boost.

However, Painter doesn't work out of the bullpen, and it's a different beast to do so. The Phillies already are experimenting with Taijuan Walker, a starter, coming out of the bullpen. While he's had his ups and downs, the Phillies making that choice with Painter is a strange one.

But, with Zack Wheeler, Christopher Sanchez, Ranger Suarez, Jesus Luzardo, and Aaron Nola as the expected starting five, there isn't a lot of room for more pitching. As Mick Abel has showcased through his first few starts, he deserves a spot in the rotation as well.

The Phillies have too many starting pitchers, so some will have to shift to the bullpen. Reuter predicts that the Phillies will decide to send Painter to the bullpen, instead of moving to a six-man rotation or moving another one of the Phillies' starters to the bullpen.

No matter what the Phillies decide, there will be controversy and comments about the decision. While a tricky situation to manage, it's a good one to have. Rostering seven quality starters in today's game is an impressive feat, and should allow the Phillies to be top contenders come the postseason, even if Nola or another starter, other than Wheeler, were to go down with an injury.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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