After an abysmal 9-19 start to the season that led to Rob Thomson’s firing, interim manager Don Mattingly pulled the Philadelphia Phillies back into competition. Now 25-23 and only second to the league-best Atlanta Braves in the NL East, the Phillies are rooting for their highly touted rookie pitcher. Before he takes the mound against the Cincinnati Reds on Monday, Mattingly revealed his plans for the 23-year-old.

After being drafted in 2021, the Phillies’ top pitching prospect, Andrew Painter, finally made his MLB debut this season. However, he missed all of 2024 and 2025 recovering from Tommy John surgery. That major injury history forces the Phillies to protect his arm right now. He recorded a hot start for his debut, giving up 1 run on 4 hits in 5.1 innings against the Washington Nationals. But since then, he has struggled, going through ups and downs. As Painter appears to have found his footing during his latest outing, Mattingly emphasized the importance of protecting him.

“I would love to see him pitch deeper into the game,” Mattingly told the reporters, per Dave Uram of Sports Radio WIP. “We would obviously love him to be like those guys who went into the game. But he’s also a young kid, first time really in the big leagues. We’re gonna protect him.”

Painter has not gone more than 5.2 innings (vs the Atlanta Braves) deep. Transforming into the major leagues, the rookie is struggling with his command, having issued 14 walks in nine outings.

However, after surrendering eight runs to the Athletics in 3.2 innings, Painter looked much better on the mound against the Boston Red Sox. During the Phillies’ 3-1 loss on Wednesday, Painter threw 62 pitches across five innings, out of which 46 were strikes.

The right-hander appeared more in control in Boston, apart from the lone run that came from Trevor Story’s homer in the second. He struck out three Red Sox hitters straight on four, three, and six pitches. But the Phillies were careful not to over-exert him.

Despite the strong outing, Mattingly pulled him after pitching just five innings to protect his arm. The interim manager said that Painter also agreed with the decision. However, Mattingly told The Athletic that Painter can be ready to pitch deeper soon.

“If he did the same thing next time out, I think we’ve got to let him keep fighting through,” remarked Mattingly, per The Athletic. “I want to build him to be like the other guys you’re seeing that can go seven and get us deeper into the game. But for now, that was a good start toward that.”

But this is not new from Mattingly, who has done this exact thing before. As manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, he famously limited top prospect Julio Urias’s innings to keep him healthy. Now, he is using that same extreme caution with Painter. The rookie currently holds a 1-4 record, posting a 5.77 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP. If Painter can safely pitch six or more innings soon, the Phillies will have a much deeper rotation for their playoff push.

As the Phillies execute a turnaround, they have decided to give a second chance to an outfielder.

The Phillies call up Otto Kemp

Otto Kemp has had a rough start to the 2026 season, batting only .100. A month ago, on April 17, the Phillies sent him down to Triple-A. They also called up Felix Reyes at the same time.

Before being optioned to Triple-A, Kemp went hitless in his last seven at-bats. During the month he spent in the minor leagues, Kemp played 24 games for Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He slashed .262/.340/.452 with a .792 OPS. He has recorded 9 extra-base hits, including 3 homers, during that stretch.

The Phillies called him up before their matchup against the Reds on Monday. To make space for Kemp on the roster, the Phillies have again optioned Reyes to Triple-A.

Following his return to the Phillies, Kemp said, “It’s nice to be back. It was nice to go get at-bats every day and kind of get my timing back, get my direction back. I kind of feel more like myself.”

Kemp went 0-for-2 against the Reds on Monday night.