Manager Rob Thompson said Friday that Painter will be part of the Phillies' rotation to start the 2026 season, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

With Zack Wheeler (shoulder) expected to start the new campaign on the sidelines, Painter has locked in the Phillies' fifth rotation spot. The soon-to-be 23-year-old is one of the organization's top prospects and has cruised to a 2.31 ERA and a 0.77 WHIP across 11.2 innings pitched this spring.

Painter threw two clean innings in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees. He struck out one.

EDGE Analysis

Painter's spring debut went swimmingly -- he fired 14 of his 20 pitches for strikes and his four-seam fastball reached 97 mph on six occasions. With Zack Wheeler (shoulder) expected to start the new campaign on the injured list, the Phillies have an eye toward including Painter in the Opening Day rotation, per Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. While he turned in a lackluster 5.40 ERA and 1.55 WHIP over 106.2 innings at Triple-A Lehigh Valley a year ago, the 22-year-old right-hander remains one of Philadelphia's top prospects and has an opportunity to overtake Taijuan Walker as the club's No. 5 starter even when Wheeler rejoins the rotation.

Painter will make his spring training debut Sunday against the Yankees, Corey Seidman of SI.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Painter so far has been working on changing his arm angle to match where it was prior to his Tommy John surgery. This will be his first spring training start since 2023. With Zack Wheeler (thoracic outlet syndrome) out until at least late April, the Phillies are planning on Painter making their rotation to begin the season despite his substandard 2025 Triple-A season.

The Phillies hope Painter will be part of their Opening Day rotation, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Cristopher Sanchez, Jesus Luzardo and Aaron Nola are locked into the Opening Day rotation, but there's a good chance the Phillies will have two open spots if Zack Wheeler (shoulder) isn't quite ready. Taijuan Walker and Painter are considered the favorites to fill those last two slots. Painter didn't have great results in 2025 in his first full season back from Tommy John surgery, holding a 5.26 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 123:47 K:BB over 118 innings covering 26 starts between Single-A Clearwater and Triple-A Lehigh Valley. However, the top prospect's stuff was intact, and the fact that he was able to get to nearly 120 innings was encouraging. Painter was added to the 40-man roster this offseason, and while he will have to pitch well in spring training, he stands a good chance of heading north with the big club.

Painter (elbow) began throwing long-toss Tuesday from a distance of 120 feet, Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

EDGE Analysis

Painter continues to make steady progress in his recovery from a spring UCL sprain and would seem to be nearing a return to mound work. There's no exact timetable for when he might be cleared to pitch in live games, but it remains quite possible that the 20-year-old right-hander could make his MLB debut at some point in 2023. He'll likely first spend a good chunk of time at Double-A Reading and then Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Painter (elbow) advanced to playing catch from a distance of 90 feet Thursday, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

EDGE Analysis

Painter still has a lot of hurdles to clear, but he has progressed without issue so far with his flat-ground work and might try throwing off a mound sometime in May. The highly-touted 20-year-old right-hander was diagnosed with a UCL sprain in his elbow back in March and is currently on the 60-day injured list at Double-A Reading. There's still some hope that he could debut with the Phillies in 2023, but it would likely be late in the season.

Painter (elbow) is scheduled to play catch out to 60 feet Friday, Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

EDGE Analysis

Painter will take another incremental step forward in his throwing program this weekend after he played catch from 45 feet Monday and Wednesday. He'll likely need to extend his throwing distance to 150-to-180 feet out before he's ready to resume throwing bullpen sessions. The Phillies plan to proceed cautiously with the prized 20-year-old right-hander, who already resides on the 60-day injured list at Double-A Reading and won't be eligible to debut with the affiliate until around late May or early June.

Painter (elbow) played catch Monday for the first time since March 1, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

It's been a month since Painter was revealed to have been diagnosed with a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, and he's at the beginning stages of what will be a slow-paced throwing program. The hope remains that the top prospect will contribute at the major-league level at some point this season, but it will be a while before a timetable on his return to game action becomes clearer.

Painter (elbow) was placed on Double-A Reading's 60-day injured list Thursday.

EDGE Analysis

The transaction isn't much of a surprise after the 19-year-old was shut down for a month in March due to a sprained UCL in his right elbow. Painter is expected start up a throwing program next week, and it'll be a while before he approaches game action.

Painter (elbow) is scheduled to start throwing next week, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

He took a month off from throwing, so everyone will nervously wait to see how his elbow responds during this first throwing session. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said in March that he believes Painter can pitch for the Phillies later this season, but it will likely be a very slow and careful buildup over the coming weeks before that becomes a realistic possibility.