Justin Crawford is one of the top prospects in the Phillies organization. (Cheryl Pursell)
At times this season, it's appeared to be a matter of when, not if top prospects Justin Crawford and Andrew Painter would make their Major League Debuts for the Phillies.
But considering it's Aug. 22 and both remain at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, it's fair to wonder whether either will ultimately join the Phillies before the season concludes.
The Phillies have a five-man rotation in the outfield that seems to be working pretty well for them of late:
- Brandon Marsh isn't going to get consistent at-bats against left-handed pitching, but he's an excellent left fielder and capable center fielder that mashes righties. He has an .826 OPS since the All-Star Break, and is going to be in there on most days.
- Nick Castellanos has hit .187 since the All-Star Break, but while his playing time might be cut into, he's not going anywhere the rest of the season.
- Harrison Bader's bat has yet to come around consistently since being acquired from the Minnesota Twins, but Rob Thomson has said he's the best defensive center fielder the Phillies have and his play in the field has backed that up.
- Max Kepler has survived to this point, despite underwhelming for most of the year at the plate. But all of a sudden, he's gotten himself into a bit of a groove, as he has a .324 batting average in August.
- Weston Wilson doesn't play as much as the other four, but he's typically in left field against left-handed pitching. Wilson is hitting .318 in 22 at-bats in August.
So, barring injury, does Thomson expect to roll with these five outfielders for the remainder of the season?
"I would think so," Thomson said. "They're all playing really well.
"And when Crawford comes [up], whenever that is, he's gonna play," Thomson said. "He's a young kid and he needs to get out there and play."
Rob Thomson was asked by @TimKellySports if, barring injury, this is the group of outfielders he expects to roll with the rest of the season. pic.twitter.com/YTGINrNARY
Crawford is hitting .327 with an .838 OPS at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, where the former first-round pick has spent the entirety of his age-21 season. He hasn't hit for much power to this point, as he only has four home runs. But at every level he's been at, hitting the ball on the ground at a high rate has worked for him. That's due in large part to his speed, which has also helped him once he's on base, as he's stolen 42 bases this year.
President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said after the trade deadline that while the Phillies believe Crawford could play in the majors currently, they would only want to call him up if he could play on a consistent basis.
"No decision has been made, but we think he's ready to play at the big league level," Dombrowski said on July 31. "We could bring him up, but if we do bring him up he needs to play a lot. I'm not sure that we're in a position to do that at this point today, but he's not somebody that we would hesitate to bring up if we decided that was the right thing to do."
Whether it would be in center or left field, there doesn't seem to be a path right now to Crawford playing every day, which makes you inclined to think the call-up won't happen unless there is an injury. It might be that 2026 — when any combination of Castellanos, Kepler and Bader could be playing elsewhere — is when Crawford will take over an outfield spot for the Phillies on a full-time basis.
Painter seemed to be a slam-dunk to join the Phillies' starting rotation at some point in 2025 — "July-ish" is the phrase that Dombrowski used consistently — but time is running out. The No. 1 prospect in the organization also has a 5.31 ERA in 17 starts for the IronPigs. It's not shocking for a pitcher to go through some trials and tribulations in the first year back from Tommy John surgery, but it's not like Painter is forcing the hands of the Phillies.
There’s not anything new on Zack Wheeler, but it sounds like there could be in the coming days.
(Via @TimKellySports) pic.twitter.com/Lydn7ik1U3
Before Zack Wheeler was lost for an indefinite period of time with a blood clot in his right upper extremity — there wasn't an update on his timetable Friday, but the ace is getting multiple opinions and more could be known in the coming days — the Phillies had planned to use a six-man rotation when Aaron Nola returned. Nola came back last Sunday in D.C., but a day after news of Wheeler's condition emerged. So the plan for the six-man rotation was scrapped, and the Phillies currently have a five-man mix of Nola, Cristopher Sánchez, Jesús Luzardo, Ranger Suárez and Taijuan Walker.
Thomson was asked Friday if, considering the Phillies only have three remaining off days during the regular season, a six-man rotation could still be in play at some point.
"Not right now, because we don't have much flexibility in our bullpen," Thomson said. "Somebody would have to go out. We'll figure it out as we move along, and if we have to do something like that, I'm not against it. But right now, I can't see it happening."
The only pitchers in the Phillies' bullpen with remaining options are Jhoan Duran, Orion Kerkering and Tanner Banks. None of them are going down. The Phillies could designate Jordan Romano or Joe Ross for assignment, although there's no indication either is a serious consideration at this time, despite varying degrees of struggles from both in 2025.
The Phillies managed Painter's workload so that he could potentially be available for them in September and October, but he has thrown 92 2/3 innings, a total he will add onto with his latest start Friday. Just because he's not out of innings doesn't necessarily mean that after missing two whole years the Phillies are going to push him if he isn't ultimately in the plans for 2025. How the Phillies proceed with Painter will be something interesting to monitor in the coming days and weeks.
Ultimately, there appears to be a real chance that neither Crawford or Painter appears in a game for the Phillies this season, which would have been unthinkable even a month ago.
