Phillies' Andrew Painter, MLB's Top Pitching Prospect, Recommended Tommy John Surgery

The Philadelphia Phillies announced Wednesday that top pitching prospect Andrew Painter has been recommended for Tommy John surgery due to a partial tear in the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.

Painter, who has been sidelined since March with the ailment, has been throwing bullpens in hopes of returning to the field, but he continues to experience symptoms in the elbow, the team said.

The 20-year-old is scheduled to meet with Dr. Neal ElAttrache on Monday in Los Angeles and could undergo surgery as soon as July 26, according to The Athletic's Matt Gelb. Tommy John surgery has an expected recovery timeline of 12 to 18 months, meaning he will likely miss all of the 2024 season.

Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said, per Gelb:

"I feel for him. He's a tremendous young talent. He was right on the verge of being a big-league pitcher. But, normally these surgeries, the players come back and they do well for themselves. He's still very young. He'll have a long future ahead of him. Of course, it hurts the organization because he could have been a contributor for us. But more importantly for him, you just feel for him. But he's a youngster. He's just turned 20."

The Phillies selected Painter 13th overall in the 2021 MLB draft out of Calvary Christian High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and he was in competition to become Philadelphia's No. 5 starter in 2023. He is currently considered the No. 8 prospect in all of baseball, per MLB.com. He's the top pitching prospect on the list and the No. 1 player in the Phillies' system.

Painter made 22 starts across three levels in the minors during the 2022 season, posting a 6-2 record, 1.56 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 155 strikeouts in 103.2 innings.

With Painter potentially unavailable to compete for a starting job with the Phillies in 2024, the club will likely have to alter its plans for the pitching staff this winter.

Starter Aaron Nola is set to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2023 campaign, and it's likely Philadelphia will look to retain his services as a key rotational member alongside Zack Wheeler and Taijuan Walker.