The Phillies have used the term "July-ish" as the target for top prospect Andrew Painter's MLB debut and integration into the rotation but it is unlikely to come before the second half begins on July 18.
The All-Star break is from July 14-17 this year and that will be the period when the Phillies back off Painter and give him a bit more time to recuperate.
"I don't think so," manager Rob Thomson said Friday when asked if Painter's arrival could come before the break.
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SIGN UP HERE Painter threw a career-high 81 pitches on Thursday in Norfolk, allowing two runs and striking out five over five innings. The Tides' lineup included last year's AL Rookie of the Year runner-up, Colton Cowser, and 2024 All-Star Jordan Westburg. Cowser doubled off Painter all three times he faced him while the rest of the team had two hits.
"Very good, velocity at 98, 99, they said he threw the ball really well," Thomson said. "Breaking ball was good, got his pitch count up.
"He's right where we want him."
Painter's next start will be Wednesday at Charlotte, the Triple A affiliate of the White Sox. The plan is a pitch count around 85, and if Painter's efficient the Phillies would feel comfortable letting him complete six innings.
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"Health, that's it," Thomson said when asked what more Painter needs to show in the minors.
The 22-year-old right-hander already looks like a major-league pitcher with a build similar to Justin Verlander. The No. 5-ranked prospect in all of baseball by MLB.com, Painter has a 2.65 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 17 innings at Triple A and owns a 1.83 ERA with 199 K's in 138 innings overall in the minors. Silly numbers.
When the Phillies add Painter to the 40-man roster and call him up in July, he'll start, he won't relieve. It's too soon for anyone with the Phillies to discuss how the rotation will be adjusted because it's still more than six weeks away. Going to a six-man staff would be one obvious solution but only if it can be formatted in a way to not give the starters, notably Zack Wheeler, too much rest.
Abel still dialed in
Mick Abel made another strong start at Triple A on Friday night, allowing an unearned run over 4⅔ innings with eight strikeouts.
Abel has a 1.08 ERA with 50 strikeouts in 41⅔ innings across his last seven starts, one of which was a scoreless win in his MLB debut over the Pirates.
The 23-year-old continues to push for a spot in the Phillies' rotation, which didn't seem realistic just a few months ago. He was coming off of years of control problems and though he was added to the Phillies' 40-man roster in December, Abel was behind the five members of the big-league rotation plus Taijuan Walker.
But he's put together the strongest run of his life. Abel hasn't solved the walks issue but he's pitching around them better than ever and allowing weaker contact than ever.
"It really helps because you know you've got Painter coming and now you've got this other guy who showed it on a pretty big stage (in his debut)," Thomson said last week.
"He (went) right back to Triple A and a lot of times you'll see that guys who go back, they have an adrenaline dump and they don't pitch well or stay focused, but he did. That's a good sign."
Walker and Nola
Walker did not pitch well in Friday’s 6-2 loss to the Brewers, allowing four runs in four innings on 89 pitches. He will move to the bullpen once Aaron Nola returns from a right ankle sprain. Nola won't be returning this week, but the Phillies could still, if they deem it worthwhile, move Walker to the bullpen sooner and call Abel up mid-week when he's ready to make his next start. They could also just keep things status quo with Walker in the rotation until Nola is ready and hope that Abel continues to build confidence and trade value at Triple A.
Manager Rob Thomson said postgame Friday that the Phillies have a lot to discuss before the rotation spot comes up again.
Nola has been sidelined since May 15 with the ankle sprain. He will throw his first full bullpen session on Sunday, 45 to 50 pitches. The Phillies will still want to see him go through fielding drills and potentially live batting practice before he begins a rehab assignment, which could be short.