Phillies prospect Andrew Painter will make his first minor-league start for Clearwater

Andrew Painter’s journey to Philadelphia is about to begin.

Painter, the Phillies’ most touted pitching prospect since at least Cole Hamels two decades ago, will open his season Friday night with a start for low-A Clearwater, manager Rob Thomson disclosed Sunday.

The minor-league assignment aligns with the Phillies’ plan to be vigilant about Painter’s innings after he missed two seasons with a torn elbow ligament that required Tommy John surgery.

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Painter will likely throw only about two innings in his first start. He’s scheduled to pitch once a week for several weeks as he climbs various levels of the farm system before ultimately making his major-league debut later in the season.

The Phillies have pegged Painter’s arrival as “July-ish,” as president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has described it.

“We’re going to be conservative and make sure we take care of him,” Thomson said before the Phillies wrapped up a three-game series with the Dodgers at Citizens Bank Park. “The biggest thing is he gets through it, throws strikes, and the stuff is there. That’s what I’m looking for.”

Despite returning to the mound in the Arizona Fall League last year, Painter didn’t start a Grapefruit League game in spring training, following the Phillies’ plan to build his arm strength more deliberately. But he did throw live batting practice, facing hitters for the first time on March 14.

Hamels, who attended camp with the Phillies as a guest instructor, was reminded of 2006. After pitching only 35 innings the year before, he stayed in Florida for a few weeks after spring training, then made one start in low A, four at high A, and three in triple A before coming to the majors. In all, he pitched 181⅓ innings, 132⅓ in the big leagues.

The plan for Painter isn’t identical. For one thing, he won’t throw nearly as many innings this year. But the concept is similar.

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“It makes you feel more comfortable, right?” Painter said of Hamels’ experience. “You look at it and you have a plan in front of you, and you look at a guy who has gone through similar situations and how everything worked out for them. I’d say it worked out all right.”

The Phillies believe Painter can be a midseason difference-maker. Even if they have a full complement of starters, he could enable them to move to a six-man rotation to help keep everyone fresh.

“He has the potential to be a No. 1, top-of-the-rotation type of starter,” Dombrowski said in spring training. “Maybe he wouldn’t be ours right off the bat. We’ve got some pretty good ones. But he has that type of potential for the long-term.”

After throwing 34 pitches to hitters Saturday in live batting practice, Ranger Suárez is scheduled to progress to a simulated game Thursday in Clearwater, Fla.

Suárez is still several weeks away from joining the Phillies’ rotation after being hampered in spring training by a stiff lower back. He will likely need to make two or three minor league starts before coming off the injured list.

J.T. Realmuto and Alec Bohm got days off Sunday. Thomson said Realmuto is slated to catch all three games this week in Atlanta. ... Before the game, the Dodgers placed lefty Blake Snell on the injured list with shoulder inflammation. Snell signed a five-year, $136.96 million in the offseason. ... Utility infielder/outfielder Weston Wilson is scheduled to play Tuesday for Clearwater, the start of a minor league assignment that will precede his return from a strained muscle in his left side. ... After a day off, the Phillies will open a three-game series in Atlanta. Zack Wheeler is scheduled to face Chris Sale in a matchup of the top finishers in last year’s Cy Young voting.