With Zack Wheeler Down, It’s Time To Call Up Andrew Painter

This hurts bad. Real bad. Philadelphia Phillies ace Zack Wheeler is out indefinitely with a scary injury. So, is there any viable solution for the Phils? Indeed there is. That solution is Andrew Painter.

It’s time to call the kid up whether the Phillies like it or not.

With Zack Wheeler on the IL, it may be time for the Phillies to call up Andrew Painter. (Photo by Norm Hall/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

MLB Photos via Getty Images

Painter could fill the void — not the shoes — left by Wheeler, who had surgery Monday to remove a blood clot in his upper right arm.

The Phillies said Wheeler underwent a thrombolysis procedure at a Philadelphia hospital and gave no timeline for his recovery. No timeline means it’s going to be a long wait for Wheeler — probably next season.

The best response to the disastrous news is to call up Painter, a blue-chip prospect whom team officials have envisioned as Wheeler’s heir apparent.

Just prior to Wheeler’s injury, it looked like Painter had no chance of debuting in the majors in 2025 after scuffling in the minor leagues this season. But when asked if it’s time to call him up, Phillies manager Rob Thomson gave a quick but telling reply on Sunday. “Could be,” Thomson said via The Inquirer. The manager added, “If we have to go to a sixth (starter), it could be Painter. It could be somebody else. We’ve just got to carry on.”

Yes, Painter has flopped at triple-A Lehigh Valley this year, with a 5.31 ERA over 17 starts. Yes, he’s close to maxing out with 81⅓ innings pitched in his first regular season since undergoing Tommy John surgery in July 2023.

But if the Phillies reach the postseason (and it looks like they should), they’ll need an X-factor to make a deep run. How about a smoke-throwing pitcher that opposing MLB hitters have yet to see? See where we’re going with this? The X-factor is Painter.

And although the surface stats looks ugly, his arm is still golden, firing 100-mph bullets and knee-breaking curves, with the ability to dominate like this:

Painter’s problem this season has been his command but that issue could resolve itself in the big leagues where there’s a “book” underscoring every big-league hitter’s weakness. No such book exists in the minors.

Also, the energy at Citizens Bank Park — especially during Red October — could rev up a youngster like Painter and give him extra mph on his heater.

Although he’s pitched poorly in 2025, his most recent start on Saturday was solid: 5 innings, four hits, three runs (two earned), three walks and five strikeouts on 83 pitches (50 strikes).

And Phillies’ history shows that the power of an X-factor. Go back to September 1980 when the Phils called up a young flame-thrower named Marty Bystrom, who went 5-0 down the stretch and then started an NLCS game and a World Series game, both of which the Phillies won en route to the franchise’s first title.

Granted, it’s likely a long shot that Painter turns into the reincarnate of Bystrom. But it’s worth giving the kid a shot — to find out if he is, in fact, the X-factor.