There are always ways to get around a paywall. No talk of surgery, just a long process. The article speculates that Painter may have overthrown a bit - and was also just starting to throw a cutter - in the pressure of that first spring training start and trying to make the rotation.
His throwing program varies, from playing catch from 120 feet (up from 30, 60, and 90 at earlier stages of his rehab) to spinning breaking balls or throwing a bullpen session. Thus far, Painter has thrown off the slope of the mound from 55 feet, the precursor to a full-fledged session.
The Phillies haven’t put a timeline on Painter’s recovery. Bullpen sessions are usually followed by facing live hitters in a batting practice setting, which is followed by simulated games and finally a minor-league assignment, with multiple occurrences of each step.
So, yes, it’s going to be a while.
Boras joked that he hopes Painter “comes back when he’s 22 and his body’s developed.” Everyone expects Painter to arrive sooner than that. In reality, though, after missing most of this season and likely being on an innings limit next year, the training wheels may not come off until 2025.
“We’re going to wait for him to mature a little physically and treat him as a valuable piece of the starting rotation but manage it as responsibly as possible,” Kaplan said. “Make sure that we’re not exposing him to the same workload that we expect [Aaron] Nola or [Zack] Wheeler to go to.
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