The Andrew Painter experiment has not gone well for the Philadelphia Phillies. The rookie right-hander struggled again against the Miami Marlins, surrendering six runs in two innings. He now sports a 7.06 ERA and 5.51 FIP through 14 appearances in 2026.
This marks the fourth straight appearance in which Painter has surrendered at least four runs. He’s been particularly homer prone, surrendering seven long balls over his last 15 innings.
As Painters struggles mount, the Phillies have to be wondering if he’s their best option as their No. 5 starter. He’s the only starter in which the club has a losing record, as they are 3-10 when the rookie takes the mound.
The Phillies have rebounded from a miserable 9-19 start to begin the season. They are 31-14 since Don Mattingly took over as the interim manager on April 28. While the team has been able to elevate their play collectively, they’ve struggled to even play competitively in Painter’s starts.
His struggles have drawn the attention of Phillies beat reporter Matt Gelb, who speculates if the right-hander’s next start will be in MLB.
Why is Andrew Painter Struggling
The issue for Andrew Painter comes down to an inability to miss bats and consistently giving up loud contact. Coming into this start against the Marlins, he had a 17.5% strikeout rate on the season. He’s also yielded a 9.0% barrel rate.
The primary issue is the lack of a viable fastball. While it comes in at 96.5 MPH, it’s been hit hard. Opposing batters are batting .382 with a .573 slugging percentage against Painter’s four-seamer. He’s only inducing a 10.9% whiff rate and a two-strike putaway rate of 7.4%.
Compounding the fastball problems has been inconsistent command. He’s leaving a lot of pitches in the middle of the strike zone, surrendering 14 home runs in his last 11 starts. It’s not limited to just one pitch, as Painter has surrendered home runs on five of his six offerings.
In his start against the Marlins, his lack of fastball command reared its ugly head. He left two four-seamers in the very middle of the strike zone to Kyle Stowers and Owen Caissie, the two best power hitters in Miami’s lineup. Unsurprisingly, both sluggers demolished the pitch for home runs.
What Can the Phillies Do With Andrew Painter
It’s too early for the Phillies to be able to make an external additions to the rotation. The right-hander’s struggles certainly pushes adding a starter up their list of priorities at the deadline.
But in the immediate, the organization has to consider replacing him in the rotation. Not only are they losing when Painter starts, but they are getting blown out in his starts. It has reached a point where the Phillies should send him down to Triple-A Lehigh Valley and bring up another starter to replace him in the rotation.
Alan Rangel is the only healthy starter in Triple-A currently on the 40-man roster. Jean Cabrera and Alex McFarlane are also on the 40-man, but are pitching with Double-A Reading. Considering Cabrera’s struggles in Triple-A resulted in a demotion, he’s probably not a realistic option.
With the lack of organizational pitching depth, they’ve rode Andrew Painter for as much as they can. But they have to wonder how much longer they can continue to send him out there.
Phillies Facing Tough Andrew Painter Decision After Latest Struggles vs. Marlins