Finally, the Andrew Painter Injury Update

Via Phillies press release:

Andrew Painter underwent an MRI-Arthrogram on March 3 which revealed a right proximal ulnar collateral ligament sprain. Painter sought a second opinion from Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who confirmed a UCL sprain. 

Both the Phillies medical staff and Dr. ElAttrache recommend Painter rest for four weeks from the date of injury and then begin a light tossing progression.

So, not a tear.* That’s good. Gotta be ultra careful with the kid. Take it easy.

Hopefully “rest for four weeks” doesn’t become the Phillies version of the Sixers’ “will be re-evaluated in two weeks,” so fingers crossed.

*EDIT – for what it’s worth, Passan is using the word “tear.” I guess we’re talking medical terminology/semantics here, since a “sprain” is technically a tear, but word usage sometimes varies when teams put out these statements:

Top Phillies prospect Andrew Painter has a tear in his UCL, the team announces. He'll sit out for a month and then start a light throwing program to see if he can pitch through it.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 10, 2023

For everyone's reference, a little Medical Terminology 101:

Sprain = ligament tear

Strain = muscle or tendon tear

Rupture = complete tear

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 10, 2023