In an unexpected move, Andrew Painter was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday, according to NBC Sports Philadelphia's Jim Salisbury.
The 23-year-old prized pitching prospect for the organization was scheduled to pitch Friday night for Lehigh Valley, but will instead do so at Camden Yards in the series opener against the Baltimore Orioles, per The Athletic’s Matt Gelb.
It aligns perfectly with the Phillies' major league rotation, which had their probable starting pitcher listed as TBD all week.
Painter looks to turn the tide not only for himself, but for the Phillies as a whole. The team is coming off a woeful sweep at the hands of the Miami Marlins, who were in free fall, suffering a franchise-record 12 straight losses.
Because of the sweep, the Phillies enter Friday with just a two-game lead over the San Diego Padres for the third and final National League Wild Card spot and take on a Baltimore Orioles team that sits just 2.5 games back of the final American League Wild Card spot.
The righty was demoted to Triple-A on June 17 after a brutal outing against Miami where he was tagged for six earned runs on six hits in just two innings of work. It was symbolic of how his much-anticipated big league career began, going 1-8 with a 7.06 ERA in 14 appearances (12 starts).
However, Painter has been trending upward over his last two starts with Lehigh Valley.
In 11 innings, he allowed just three earned runs on 12 hits while most notably walking just one batter and striking out 14.
Overall, in five starts since being sent down, Painter went 1-2 with a 4.56 ERA in 23 ⅔ innings with 25 strikeouts and a 1.44 WHIP.
The improved command in the last two starts is a positive sign for the rookie who struggled locating his pitches in the zone in his first three starts after his demotion back to the IronPigs, walking seven batters in 12 ⅔ innings.
The timing of the move certainly is intriguing.
Is this a final attempt to dangle Painter as trade bait? Are the Phillies signaling there is no trade partner to land a serviceable fifth starter? There is plenty to speculate.
The trade deadline is Monday, so those questions will be answered sooner rather than later.
Either way, Painter gets a chance at redemption.
MORE: The Phillies must prioritize starting pitching at the MLB trade deadline
