Andrew Painter Demoted to Minor Leagues as Phillies Adjust Rotation Andrew Painter has been sent to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs to work on improving his fastball, which has struggled to overpower major-league hitters. The Philadelphia Phillies have not set a timeline for his return, with general manager Preston Mattingly emphasizing that the team will wait until Painter is ready to contribute. “We haven’t put a timetable on it,” Mattingly said on The Inquirer’s Phillies Extra podcast. “It’s TBD at this point when he comes back. But I think we all know as an organization that we’re going to need him.” As Painter remains sidelined, the Phillies must address the fifth-starter spot in their rotation. Starting pitching depth has been a long-standing concern, and the team lacks strong options in this area. To manage the transition, manager Don Mattingly has decided to slightly rearrange the rotation beyond co-aces Cristopher Sánchez and Zack Wheeler. Jesús Luzardo will move back one day to avoid overtaxing the bullpen, splitting Painter’s spot with Aaron Nola. The adjusted rotation for the upcoming series against the Washington Nationals will feature No. 5 starter on Monday, Luzardo on Tuesday, Nola on Wednesday, and Sánchez on Thursday. The fifth-starter role will be filled by one of three candidates: Bryse Wilson, Alan Rangel, or a bullpen opener. Wilson, who was called up to replace Painter on the roster, threw 29 pitches in two scoreless innings of relief against the Mets on Thursday. The 28-year-old righty has a 6.29 ERA in Triple-A but has allowed no runs in his last three starts. He has appeared in 164 major-league games, including 57 starts. Rangel, meanwhile, has been the most consistent starter in Lehigh Valley, posting a 3.#philadelphia_phillies #andrew_painter #don_mattingly #lehigh_valley_ironpigs #preston_mattingly
