Andrew Painter, a promising prospect with the Philadelphia Phillies, had high expectations going into the 2026 MLB regular season.
He was given as much leeway as possible by the team, but something needed to change. Painter only pitched two innings in his most recent start against the Miami Marlins, giving up two home runs and six earned runs.
He was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, thus this will be his final start with the Phillies for some time. Given his 1-8 record, 7.06 ERA, 63 ERA+, 5.51 FIP, and 1.662 WHIP, the demotion was justified.
After missing two seasons due to Tommy John surgery, his minor league performance in 2025 was subpar, and things worsened in 2026. However, he needs to strengthen his areas of weakness in order to rejoin the Philadelphia rotation.
Andrew Painter needs to figure out his fastball
Finding his fastball is the most crucial thing Painter needs to do. According to Pitch Profiler on X, he didn’t produce a single whiff with his four-seam fastball during his most recent start against the Marlins.
Pitching coach Caleb Cotham recently mentioned that Painter is working on regaining his shape and mobility. One of the main reasons he has battled so much is that he has not regained the same shape after returning from surgery.
Positively, he has at least demonstrated a desire to broaden his range. Against Miami, he made greater use of both his splitter and slider. He needs to keep improving because his four-seam usage has been declining.
Unfortunately, it didn’t produce the outcomes he had hoped for, therefore he will now need to improve in the lesser levels.
Given his recent propensity to mix pitches, Andrew Painter still has a chance to become an MLB starter.
His top goal while playing for Triple-A Lehigh Valley is to find a fastball that he can rely on for steady success. He needs to come up with a solution because the four-seamer isn’t working.
Creating a splitter or cutter might be the solution. Corbin Burnes is one pitcher who overcame comparable difficulties throughout his career. After recording an 8.82 ERA in 2019, he was named a four-time All-Star and earned the National League Cy Young Award in 2021.
That doesn’t mean Painter will win an award in two years, but it at least offers some hope to a fan base that is undoubtedly frustrated that such a highly touted prospect has started the Big Leagues so slowly.
