Phillies

Phillies Set to Make Tweak to Starting Rotation

By Luke Arcaini

Published: Jun 20th, 2026 · 5:26 PM EDT

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A rare Friday off-day has given the Phillies the ability to set their rotation to their liking heading into a new week.

Andrew Painter, who holds a 7.06 ERA in the first 14 outings (12 starts) of his major league career, was optioned to Triple-A following a 2-inning, 6-run performance on Wednesday, June 17th. With not much pitching MLB-ready pitching depth in the organization, the Phillies are going to have to get creative for the time being.

Don Mattingly said pregame that he and his staff have talked through some potential plans to fill Painter’s spot in the rotation. They have a “decent idea,” the interim skipper said. While Mattingly did not officially announce the pitcher (or pitchers), he did confirm the team will split up Aaron Nola and the 5th rotation spot to give the Phillies a little more leeway.

While the Phillies have only thrown the 21st-most bullpen innings in baseball, it feels like way more. With Nola and Painter back to back in the rotation, it was a lot of action for the bullpen in two days.

There are a couple options on the table to fill Painter’s role for the Phillies. It could be Bryse Wilson, who is scoreless in his last 14 minor-league innings, 16 if you count his two innings in relief for the Phillies on Thursday night. It could be Alan Rangel, who has had a bit of an up and down year for the Iron Pigs as a starter. It could also be a bullpen game that includes some of those names listed. If you’re reading this, it could be you!

What we do know, as of now, is that the 5th-spot will pitch on Monday, the series opener in Washington. Jesus Luzardo will pitch on Tuesday.

The Phillies are 27-13 in games started by Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sanchez, or Jesus Luzardo this season. They are 13-22 in games started by anyone else. They’ve gotten fantastic production out of those three arms, and it’s kept them consistently updating the number in the win column while the backend of the rotation struggles.

While some names in the bullpen, like Jose Alvarado and Tanner Banks, have had shaky seasons, Jhoan Duran and Orion Kerkering have held down the fort as the high-leverage relievers. Tim Mayza, Chase Shugart, and Jonathan Bowlan have gotten big outs. Seth Johnson looked as intriguing as ever on Thursday night vs. the Mets.

Kyle Backhus, according to Don Mattingly, is on his way back to the major league roster. He’ll throw one more inning for the Iron Pigs on Saturday night, and if all things go according to plan, he’ll be activated in the coming days.

The combination of those seven guys, along with one of Bryse Wilson and Alan Rangel, pushes me to believe that a bullpen game every five days could be possible. “It’s not ideal,” Mattingly said on Thursday. But when your rookie pitcher leads the majors in losses, that’s certainly not ideal either.