The Philadelphia Phillies selected the contracts of three prospects to the big league club on Tuesday, including No. 1 prospect Andrew Painter.
Philadelphia — like the rest of the league — had to decide which prospects to protect ahead of the Rule 5 Draft by adding them to the 40-man roster. Painter was one of the three prospects selected, along with No. 9 prospect Gabriel Rincones Jr. and No. 20 prospect Alex McFarlane, according to the team.
“The Phillies have selected the contracts of right-handed pitchers Alex McFarlane and Andrew Painter and outfielder Gabriel Rincones Jr. to the 40-man roster. With these transactions, the club’s 40-man roster currently stands at 33 players,” the Phillies announced.
Of the three, Painter is the guy Phillies fans should have their eyes on right now. The 6-foot-7 righty is just 22 years old, but has shot through the Phillies farm system since being selected with the No. 13 overall pick in the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft. In 2022, Painter had a 1.56 ERA in 22 starts across Class-A, High-A, and Double-A.
Painter was viewed among the top overall prospects in baseball entering the 2023 season, but he was forced to miss the campaign after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He also missed the 2024 season, but did make six starts for the Glendale Desert Dogs in the Arizona Fall League while pitching to a 2.30 ERA.
The big righty fully returned to the mound in 2025 and had a 5.26 ERA in 26 starts. Not great, but positive that he was able to pitch 118 innings after a rough couple of years. Now, he’s on the Phillies’ 40-man roster and on the doorstep to the big leagues.
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