Command issues plague Andrew Painter, but Rob Thomson is not worried: ‘The stuff is definitely there’

CINCINNATI — The “July-ish” timeline that Dave Dombrowski had repeatedly outlined for Andrew Painter’s major league debut has now come and gone, and as August marches on his arrival does not seem imminent.

Painter started Sunday for triple-A Lehigh Valley, and he was charged with seven earned runs on nine hits over 4⅓ innings. Painter walked two batters and gave up two home runs, including a 436-foot shot from Yankees prospect Spencer Jones.

It was the second tough outing in a row for the 22-year-old Phillies prospect, who issued four walks on Aug. 5. His ERA in triple A has risen to 5.42 in 16 starts with the IronPigs.

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“Command again,” said Phillies manager Rob Thomson. “You know, I watched every pitch, and the stuff’s there, and I thought actually [Sunday’s] command was better than the time before. He just got hit a little bit more, that’s all. But the stuff is definitely there.”

After Tommy John surgery, which is the procedure Painter underwent in July 2023 to reconstruct the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, it can take a while for some pitchers to regain their command.

“The velocity was there from the get-go, and now there’s probably some fatigue setting in, too, because he hasn’t had this type of workload for a couple years,” Thomson said. “So I think it’s normal. I really do. I’m not concerned about it at all.”

Thomson said the Phillies may begin to build in extra rest between Painter’s starts to help him adjust as the innings continue to pile up. He has pitched 87⅔ innings this season. In 2022, his final season before surgery, he finished with 103⅔.

The Phillies still remain confident in Painter’s ability to reclaim his command. Ahead of the July 31 trade deadline, Dombrowski said they would not consider moving him. But it’s no longer a given that Painter will be pitching at Citizens Bank Park sometime this season.

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However, a call-up is not necessarily completely off the table, either.

“I wouldn’t close the door on it, because anything can happen,” Thomson said. “I mean, all of a sudden he catches his second wind, we have some injuries here, and then, you know? I wouldn’t close the door on it.”

In his start on Sunday, all six pitches in Zack Wheeler’s arsenal trended slower than normal. His four-seam fastball dropped an average of 2 mph, not even reaching 96 mph.

But Wheeler and Thomson insist they are not concerned. Wheeler came in on Monday “feeling good,” according to Thomson.

Wheeler also reported shoulder soreness last week, which led the Phillies to push his start back by two days. The right-hander said he felt “perfectly normal” on Sunday. He is on track to do all his normal activities, including a normal bullpen session, before his next start, which will be back to a regular schedule.

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“The past four starts have been off, but it’s that part of the season where the innings are starting to rack up a little bit,” Wheeler said Sunday. “So just catching up to me a little bit. But just got to push through it. It’s all just a cycle. So it’ll come back around and I’ll be fine.”

Aaron Nola is scheduled to start Tuesday in Lehigh Valley as he continues his rehab assignment, and could be reactivated afterward. Once he returns to the big league club, it’s possible the Phillies could opt to use a six-man rotation to take some stress off their starters.

It’s not just Wheeler: Jesús Luzardo’s 133 innings are about double what he pitched for the Marlins in an injury-abbreviated 2024.

“I think it could benefit everybody,” Thomson said. “Tell you the truth, we’ve been riding these guys pretty hard all year.”

José Alvarado threw a scoreless inning Sunday for Lehigh Valley, with one strikeout. ... Alec Bohm (rib) began his rehab assignment. He went 0-for-4. “Bohm made a great play, barehand play,” Thomson said. “Had four at-bats, grounded out three times. They threw him a lot of breaking balls [Sunday]. He’s just out in front. He had one good swing where he drove the ball [to] right-center for an out, but the swing looked good.” ... Ranger Suárez (8-5, 2.94 ERA) is scheduled to start against Reds right-hander Brady Singer (9-9, 4.53 ERA) on Tuesday.