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Phillies Top Prospect Set for 2025 Season Debut

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Mike Ostrowski | Last updated Apr 6, 2025 4:00 PM ET

Phillies fans finally have concrete information on their top prospect's return to the diamond. Right-handed pitcher Andrew Painter, currently rated the No. 7 prospect across all of MLB, will make his first start since 2022 this Friday for the club's Single-A squad in Clearwater.

The Threshers, who play in the Phillies' spring training stadium, will host the Cincinnati Reds-affiliated Daytona Tortugas, with first pitch scheduled for 6:30 PM EST. Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports that the Phillies will continue to take it slow with Painter and only have him throw a couple of innings to start off:

Andrew Painter will start Friday for Low-A Clearwater. Timeline remains the same; Phillies are targeting the summer for him. But he needs game reps. Probably two innings once a week to begin.
— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) April 6, 2025

Painter has been a hot topic throughout the spring as he nears the end of his Tommy John recovery. He's currently at extended spring training and will only have to go a few feet to the main field for his next assignment.

Despite the extended time on the shelf, Painter is projected to make his major league debut this summer, with Phillies GM Preston Mattingly stating that "July-ish" is the club's current target for him. Still, the former first-round pick has a few challenges to face first.

Painter has not pitched above Double-A in his pro career - and even that was for a stretch of only five starts.

While he's likely to move back there as soon as the organization is satisfied with his arm condition, proving he is ready to face major league hitting - and more worthy than other options - is a more difficult task.

The Phillies have one of the deepest rotations in baseball, with Zack Wheeler, Jesús Luzardo, Aaron Nola, Cristopher Sánchez, and Ranger Suárez as their main five starters.

Taijuan Walker is also still around as a spot starter, which he's currently doing in place of the injured Suárez. Two of Philly's Top-30 prospects, Seth Johnson and Mick Abel, are currently at Triple-A and could also earn call-ups fairly soon.

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

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