The Philadelphia Phillies are expected to have top prospect Andrew Painter in the starting rotation. He has the potential of becoming a premier starter for the club, and it sounds like JT Realmuto is believing in the hype.

Realmuto, who is 34 years old, shared a scouting report about Painter after catching for him in a bullpen session before the start of spring training, according to John Clark of NBCS Philly. The Phillies' star catcher compared Andrew Painter to teammate Zack Wheeler.

“He looks great,” Realmuto said of Painter. “I caught his bullpen yesterday. Shoot, I want to say it was 98, 99. It's just easy. It doesn't look like he's throwing max effort. It's still coming out that firm… He is kind of like Wheeler. His stuff is so elite, and he's still able to throw the ball on the edges (command).”

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Painter was initially estimated to reach the Majors in 2025. However, an elbow injury in 2023 that forced the 22-year-old pitcher to undergo Tommy John surgery pushed his timeline back by a year. With four total seasons in MiLB, Andrew Painter owns a career 3.44 ERA and 1.195 WHIP, along with 290 strikeouts, and a 52.4% winning percentage.

He is competing for the fourth or fifth spot on the Phillies' rotation to begin the 2026 campaign. It will largely depend on how spring training plays out, but he should be primed for the fifth spot behind Cristopher Sanchez, Jesus Luzardo, Aaron Nola, and Zack Wheeler. Painter is more than likely competing with Taijuan Walker for the fifth spot in the rotation.

The Phillies will play their first spring training game on February 21 when they take on the Toronto Blue Jays. Painter will have plenty of opportunities to prove himself before the start of the regular season.