The Phillies finally had an update on 19-year-old top prospect Andrew Painter, a full week after they revealed he came away from his first spring training start with tenderness in his right elbow.
Painter has been diagnosed with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament. Four weeks of rest with no throwing from the date of the injury was the recommendation from the Phillies' medical staff and renowned sports surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache.
The injury occurred last Wednesday, March 1, when Painter threw two innings in Fort Myers against the Minnesota Twins. He was diagnosed with a UCL sprain by the Phillies two days later and sought a second opinion from ElAttrache, who performed Bryce Harper's Tommy John surgery.
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Four weeks off from throwing would take Painter to the first few days of April, when he would begin a "light tossing progression," according to the team.
"Obviously, it's a bummer," Painter told reporters Friday. "You want to stay healthy but we have to do what's right for the long-term, it's a long season. We've got to take precautions now and make sure that I'm healthy and available toward the end of the year."
Elbow problems and eventual surgery almost seem like a rite of passage nowadays for hard-throwing top pitching prospects. So far, surgery has not been mentioned for Painter, at least not publicly. Painter and the Phillies will try to rectify the situation with rest.
"It's pretty mild," he said. "This is kind of something we're going to take cautiously and make sure we don't rush anything. The plan is to start tossing in three or four weeks and see where that goes, see how it feels and go from there."
MLB
This is obviously not a development anyone in the organization was looking forward to after the Phillies opened camp with Painter at the forefront of their No. 5 starter's battle. He had a real chance to win a rotation spot out of camp at 19 years old. Instead, the nod will likely go to left-hander Bailey Falter.
Painter was the Phillies' first-round pick in 2021, selected 13th overall. He had a chance to become the first player from the first round of his draft class -- high school or college -- to make the majors. That debut will have to wait at least a little while. The Phillies are hoping that Painter's taking time off from throwing will do the trick but it's far from guaranteed.
If rest does work, it could turn out to be a blessing in disguise as the time off could preserve Painter’s innings count for later in the season. Even if he broke camp with the team, it’s not like he would have pitched 180-plus innings. His career-high was 103⅔ last year.
Aaron Nola, who lockers next to Painter in the Phillies' spring training clubhouse, dealt with a UCL sprain midway through 2016. His final start that year was July 28. He didn't have elbow surgery and showed up to camp the next year ready to go. Nola's been a workhorse ever since, leading the majors in innings pitched over the last five seasons.
"This is a common thing, other people have experienced this," Painter said. "Talked with Nola a little bit, he dealt with something similar in '16 and then you look at his track record, he's been great ever since."
Painter put himself in position to win a job in camp by dominating three different minor-league levels last season. With Single A Clearwater, he had a 1.40 ERA, didn't allow a home run and struck out 69 in 38⅔ innings. He was promoted to High A Jersey Shore, where he posted a 0.98 ERA with 49 strikeouts and just seven walks in 36⅔ innings. He ended the year with Double A Reading, pitching to a 2.54 ERA with 37 strikeouts and two walks in 28⅓ innings. Altogether, he had a 1.56 ERA with a .181 opponents' batting average, 13.5 strikeouts and 2.2 walks per nine innings.