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Andrew Painter returns to the mound in Arizona Fall League

Andrew Painter pitched on Saturday in the AFL. (Cheryl Pursell)

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — On March 1, 2023, Andrew Painter threw his last competitive pitch. 591 days – and one surgically repaired elbow – later, he returned to action Saturday and completed two innings of work in the Arizona Fall League.

Painter, MLB’s No. 32 prospect and the Phillies’ No. 2 prospect, was diagnosed with a right UCL strain. Four months later, in July 2023, he underwent Tommy John surgery to repair it.

Painter, the highest-ranked pitching prospect in the Arizona Fall League, was a late addition to the Glendale Desert Dogs’ roster. Preliminary Fall League rosters were released on Sept. 25, and Painter’s participation wasn’t announced until Oct. 7, the same day the league began play.

According to Painter, he wasn’t too involved in the Phillies’ conversations about him pitching in Arizona this month, but he made it known he was ready to go out and compete, and that he wanted to pitch before the offseason.

“I just felt like it was best for me to get in a game atmosphere before spring training next year,” Painter said after Saturday’s game.

The Phillies’ plan for Painter, according to MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki, was to have him pitch two innings for the Glendale Desert Dogs in his first start Saturday against the Scottsdale Scorpions.

Painter’s nine-pitch first inning was the highlight of the afternoon. His first pitch of the day to Blue Jays prospect Adrian Pinto – who later lined out to third base – hit 98 mph, and his fourth pitch reached 100 mph.

“You can simulate as much as you want with the live BPs and stuff, but it won’t be the same as in the stadium with a real umpire back there,” Painter said. “Adrenaline definitely played a big role in that.”

The second batter Painter faced was a familiar face for Phillies fans: Jeff McNeil of the New York Mets, who played his second game as a Scottsdale Scorpion Saturday. He is a certified big leaguer, recovering from a wrist injury and hoping to return to action for the Mets in the NLCS. He was viewed as what would be Painter’s marquee at-bat of the afternoon.

McNeil saw one pitch from Painter. It touched 100 mph. He flied out.

Painter said it was “cool” to go against McNeil, but that he approached him the same way he approached everyone else.

“Still gotta go out there and do my job and pitch to my strengths,” Painter said.

Next, Painter recorded his first strikeout since Max Kepler went down swinging 591 days ago. Bryce Eldridge, MLB’s No. 35 prospect and the San Francisco Giants’ top prospect, stepped up to the plate. Eldridge swung through two pitches that hit 100 and 99 mph, and then Painter sent him packing with a swing-and-miss on an 84 mph curveball.

The inning was extremely encouraging. In Painter’s 1-2-3 frame, he hit 100 mph three times, got a bonafide major leaguer out, and he made MLB’s No. 2 first base prospect look silly.

However, it was a tale of two innings for Painter. He faced six batters in the second. First up was Josue Briceño, who turned an 89 mph slider into a 446-foot home run. Next, he gave up a four-pitch walk to Drew Gilbert and a single to Glenside native Sammy Siani. Charlie Szykowny hit into a double play, but Kervin Pichardo brought in a second run on an RBI double to put Scottsdale up 2-0. Painter recorded his second strikeout of the outing off of Drew Cavanaugh to end the 20-pitch inning.

“Obviously, the results weren’t exactly what I wanted, but my arm’s healthy and that was the biggest takeaway,” Painter said. “Everything felt like it was coming out good. I felt like my old self, so that’s all I can take away from that.”

When all was said and done, Painter threw 29 pitches, 18 of which were strikes. He gave up three hits and two runs, walked one batter, and struck out two. Not bad for a long-awaited return from a grueling recovery process.

“Baseball has been my thing growing up, and it’s been something I’ve loved,” Painter said. “So getting that taken away from me, I think it just made me appreciate the game so much more. So I really look forward to any time I get to be out here on the field and just go to the field every day.”

For Painter, who is still just 21 years old, going through an intensive rehabilitation process could have been crushing. During those 19 months without throwing a competitive pitch, he looked to the future to keep him going and give him hope.

“The end goal is always (to) pitch in the big leagues and pitch in the big leagues for a while, so you just always have to keep that in mind,” Painter said. “It’s a good balance of being where your feet are at, but knowing there’s light at the end of the tunnel.”

As far as returning to his pre-surgery self goes, Painter doesn’t exactly look at his rehab process that way. Instead, he views it as the start of a new chapter.

“It’s a new elbow, so I’m a new person now,” Painter said. “You can look at that stuff and think back, but it’s just a dangerous spot to be in. I’m a new person and I’ll build off every start from here on out.”

The Phillies obviously have big hopes for their 2021 first-round pick. He’ll use this stint in the Arizona Fall League to get himself back into a rhythm and regain his command heading into the offseason. Although the team will definitely limit his innings pitched in 2025, he may figure into their plans as soon as Opening Day, depending on the status of the Phillies’ fifth starter.

Where does Painter himself hope to be in 2025?

“Wherever they need me.”