Phillies get some good news from tests on Andrew Painter’s elbow
Tests showed the tear is healing, and the team will back him off from throwing for a few days before trying again once the discomfort subsides.
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MIAMI — The Phillies weren’t sure what Andrew Painter’s test results would reveal, after their top pitching prospect described discomfort in his right elbow this week. But the results were better than they expected.
”The testing showed there is healing in there,” manager Rob Thomson said. “Seriously. So all we’re going to do is just back him off for a few days, let that discomfort get out of the way and then we’ll start going again. It’s better news than what we were expecting.”
When asked to elaborate what “healing” means in this instance, Thomson said the tear is starting to close up. Painter, a first-round draft pick in 2021, has spent the past few months on the injured list with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.
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Painter, who underwent an MRI arthrogram, won’t start his throwing progression all over again, but Thomson said he will “back if off a little bit” once he resumes pitching.
It’s still unclear what this news means for Painter, 20, long term. Thomson couldn’t say whether Painter is in play to pitch this season, for the Phillies or for one of their minor league affiliates.
The plan for now is for Painter to use rest to heal his injury. He hasn’t had a platelet-rich plasma injection and there are no plans for him to undergo surgery.
There is no firm timeline on Painter’s return to pitching. The Phillies are going to base it off how he feels. When the discomfort stops, he’ll get back to work.
Extra bases
Noah Song (low back strain) pitched an inning in Clearwater, Fla., on Friday. His velocity was down a little bit. Song allowed one hit with two walks. “The stuff was down a little bit, had trouble throwing strikes,” Thomson said of Song. “The time before that was really good. I think that’s natural, there’s going to be some ups and downs”… Pitcher Mick Abel will start on Saturday for the National League in the Futures Game. Justin Crawford will start at designated hitter.