The Clearwater Threshers wore the same red pinstriped pants that the Phillies do at home against the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels Thursday. As No. 1 prospect Andrew Painter donned those pants, it wasn't hard to imagine him doing so at Citizens Bank Park in the not-so-distant future.
In his third start of the season for the Single-A Threshers, Painter struck out three batters over a trio of scoreless innings:
Andrew Painter tonight for Clearwater: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, 43 pitches (32 strikes) pic.twitter.com/5Ym8lrUj0e
Painter has allowed two earned runs across 7 1/3 innings (2.45) over his first three starts of the season. Over that time, he's struck out 10 batters. The organization has been particularly cautious with the 22-year-old's workload as he returns from the Tommy John surgery that he underwent during the summer of 2023.
The Phillies have said that July is a loose target date for Painter to make his MLB Debut, while leaving flexibility for it to come in June or August. Between now and then, he'll have his workload increased and rise up the levels of the minor leagues. It's unclear exactly when the Phillies will ramp Painter up in earnest, though presumably it's not too far away if they expect him to join their starting rotation at some point this summer.
