The clock is ticking on the arrival of Phillies top prospect Andrew Painter to the major leagues.
With the calendar about to turn to June, the right-hander’s days in Triple-A should be reaching its final month.
Phils manager Rob Thomson said recently that the plan remains for the 22-year-old flamethrower, one of MLB’s top overall prospects, to make his debut in the majors sometime in July – which the organization has said since the start of the season.
Painter made his final May start Thursday afternoon in Game 1 of a doubleheader for Lehigh Valley, scattering five hits over five innings and allowing one run while striking out five to pick up his second win in four Triple-A starts without a loss.
More importantly, Painter threw 81 pitches – his most this season – as the Phillies continue to stretch him out following Painter missing the 2023 and 2024 seasons because of Tommy John surgery. Painter’s pitch count has steadily risen since his early May promotion to Triple-A.
It’s clear the Phillies are preparing the 6-foot-7 pitcher to be an eventual starter, even as they’re carrying the best record in the NL entering Friday's MLB action and buoyed by one of the best starting rotations in the game.
Even after Zack Wheeler got shelled Thursday in the nightcap of a twin bill against the Braves, the Phillies’ starting rotation ERA (3.30) ranks second in the NL and leads all of MLB in strikeouts (357).
The bullpen surely could use an upgrade – the Phils rank 21st in MLB in bullpen ERA (4.61) following another lackluster showing against the Braves – but Painter isn’t getting his pitch count maximized at Triple-A for the purpose of becoming a reliever. The team has given no indication that it would use Painter out of the pen, and with Painter coming off surgery, he needs days off in between outings.
Painter’s pitch count didn’t exceed 43 pitches in any of his first four starts this year, all with Single-A Clearwater, but he threw 60 in his Triple-A debut May 8 and then 71 pitches apiece in each of his next two outings for the IronPigs, so it's a positive sign that Painter has raised his pitch count throughout May while still seeing positive results.
Farm Phenoms
On the subject of prospects, The Athletic published its list of top-50 baseball prospects compiled by their senior baseball writer, Keith Law.
Painter, who was ranked fifth on Law's list, wasn’t the only Phils farmhand ranked among the sport’s best minor leaguers, as the Phils saw four of their prospects among the top 42.
Painter joined shortstop Aidan Miller in the top 10, with Miller coming in at ninth overall. Miller is currently at Double-A with the Fightin Phils, slashing .235/.335/.346, with four homers and 10 RBIs in 41 games.
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Infielder Aroon Escobar and outfielder Justin Crawford also made the list, at 40th and 42nd, respectively, a good sign for the organization's future or for having coveted trade chips at the deadline.
Escobar is with Single-A Clearwater, slashing .329/.432/.521 in 42 games, with eight dingers and 27 RBIs. Crawford, a teammate of Painter’s at Triple-A, has 61 hits in 46 games, slashing .324/.396/.431 with one homer, 18 RBIs and 16 stolen bases. He entered Friday's action tied for the International League’s second-most hits and tied for the fourth-most stolen bases.
Schwarber Staying?
Phils designated hitter Kyle Schwarber clubbed his 20th homer on Thursday, second to Shohei Ohtani for the NL lead, with a blast into the mezzanine at Citizens Bank Park, truly a sight to behold:
There are Schwarbombs… and then there are SCHWARBOMBS pic.twitter.com/KnozUDHutr
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) May 29, 2025
Schwarber’s monster season continues in a contract season, leaving many to wonder if the Phillies plan to give him an extension before the end of the season and before he enters free agency.
Dave Dombrowski, the Phils’ president of baseball operations, talked about Schwarber’s future recently on “The Show,” a podcast hosted by Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman. Here’s what Dombrowski had to say about a new Schwarber deal:
Dave Dombrowski here on if he wants to extend Kyle Schwarber. Dave talks Wheeler, Harper, Painter, the pen, Mets and more in full cast
YouTube: https://t.co/3LIuEGflUF
Apple: https://t.co/oxrBnJBKme
Spotify: https://t.co/F9tbGAUwsc pic.twitter.com/BpG43LFsTq— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) May 29, 2025
Dombrowksi didn’t make it sound like a Schwarber extension was imminent … but also didn’t make it sound like it wouldn’t happen, either.
“We’d love to keep him as part of the organization for the long term, there’s no doubt,” he said, which is about as cookie-cutter of a quote that you can get from a team’s top executive, along with, “We’ll see where that takes us.”
For now, Phils fans can only sit back, relax and watch the “Schwar-bombs” fly.
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