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Who Will Be Phillies Next Prospect Promoted To Make Major League Debut?

Originally posted on Philadelphia Phillies on SI
By Kenneth Teape | Last updated Aug 21, 2025 6:00 PM ET

The Philadelphia Phillies have done a great job in recent weeks, starting to put some distance between themselves and the New York Mets in the National League East race.

Entering play on Aug. 21, the Phillies had a 6.5-game lead over their rivals in the division, playing some great baseball. The work that the president of baseball operations, D ave Dombrowski, did ahead of the deadline was paying dividends. Especially the bullpen additions, where free agent signing David Robertson and trade acquisition Jhoan Duran are both excelling.

Alas, even with those additions, it is the pitching staff garnering a lot of attention once again. This time it is their rotation. The injury to Zack Wheeler is a brutal blow since he was in the midst of another Cy Young-worthy campaign. Aaron Nola did return from the injured list but had a concerning start against the Washington Nationals.

There is plenty of firepower remaining in the rotation to carry the team through the end of the season. Cristopher Sanchez looks every part an ace. Ranger Suarez got back on track with a dominant start against the Seattle Mariners . Jesus Luzardo has looked like a star at points this year as well and Taijuan Walker has been excellent after a brutal 2024 campaign.

Andrew Painter Picked As Next Phillies Prospect To Debut

And, there could be even more help on the way. Fans are patiently awaiting the arrival of Andrew Painter, the No. 1-ranked prospect in the organization and No. 10 overall. After missing the 2023 and 2024 campaigns because of Tommy John surgery, he is nearing his MLB debut.

When will that debut be? It has been rumored for months that it would come at some point in the summer, but he has hit a rough patch pitching at Triple-A recently. That hasn’t slowed his hype train down much, with Sam Dykstra and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com believing he will be the next prospect called up by the franchise.

“The Phillies do need some pitching help, so if Painter can right the ship, there’s still time for him to help the big club out,” they wrote.

His numbers are eye-popping, but not in a good way, in 2025. He has a 5.15 ERA across 92.2 innings with 94 strikeouts. Painter has been susceptible to the long ball, surrendering 16 thus far this year.

But a lot of the stuff under the hood, such as his stuff+, remains excellent. The numbers don’t show it, but he is throwing the ball well and is likely ready to handle the MLB once the opportunity presents itself. With some help needed on the pitching staff, whether it is in the rotation or bullpen, it may not be long until he debuts in Philadelphia.