After a sluggish start to the season, the Philadelphia Phillies finally had something to celebrate on Tuesday. Right-hander Andrew Painter, the club’s top pitching prospect, shut down the Washington Nationals in his MLB debut at Citizens Bank Park (PHI 3, WAS 2). He struck out eight and allowed one run in 5 ⅓ innings, and retired 13 of the final 16 batters he faced.

“It’s been a long journey,” Painter said Monday (via NBC Sports Philadelphia). “I’m super grateful for all the people who’ve been a part of it.”

Throw strikes Painter did: 57 of his 84 pitches were strikes, a healthy 68%, and he walked only one. His first strikeout in the big leagues was a brand name — James Wood — and the very first batter he faced. Painter got Wood to swing over a curveball to start Tuesday’s game:

The Nationals mustered only three singles and a double in Painter’s 5 ⅓ innings, and the double was a pop-up behind second base that Trea Turner seemed to lose in the lights. Painter was charged with a run when reliever Tanner Banks allowed a single to Daylen Lile and right fielder Adolis García’s throw went into the stands, allowing CJ Abrams to go home.

Painter, 22, was the No. 13 pick in the 2021 Draft. He was arguably the best pitching prospect in baseball after throwing 103 ⅔ minor-league innings with a 1.56 ERA and 155 strikeouts in 2022, but Tommy John surgery wiped out his entire 2023 and most of his 2024. Last year, Painter pitched to a 5.26 ERA in 118 innings at mostly Triple-A, and really labored at times.

Despite his injuries and underwhelming 2025, we ranked Painter as the 24th-best prospect in baseball entering spring training, and the seventh-best pitching prospect. Here’s the write-up:

Painter has been in line to debut since 2023, when he injured his elbow and subsequently required two full seasons to recover. He seemed certain to get over the line last year, only to stumble his way to a 5.40 ERA and a 2.41 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 22 Triple-A starts. Painter remains a compelling pitching prospect thanks to his (unusually steep) release point, arm strength, and arsenal depth. His fastball clocked in at 96 mph in Triple-A and he complemented it with a curveball, a changeup, a sweeper, and a slider that he shows exceptional feel for locating within the zone. It’s fair to have reservations after a challenging season, but there’s still plenty of reason to believe in him becoming a quality starter.

For all intents and purposes, Painter is stepping into the rotation spot vacated by Ranger Suárez, who signed with the Boston Red Sox. Taijuan Walker is expected to move to the bullpen when ace Zack Wheeler returns from thoracic outlet syndrome surgery in mid-to-late April. The rotation will be Painter, Wheeler, Jesús Luzardo, Aaron Nola, and Cristopher Sánchez.

The Phillies had one of the oldest Opening Day rosters this season. They’ve given Painter a rotation spot and Justin Crawford the center field job in an effort to inject youth into the roster. Crawford, another 22-year-old, had two hits on Opening Day and entered Tuesday’s game with a .400 on-base percentage on the young season.

Philadelphia entered Tuesday with a 1-3 record and an MLB-worst minus-15 run differential.