A Promising Comeback
Andrew Painter’s journey back to the majors has been anything but straightforward. After a career‑ending elbow injury forced him to undergo Tommy John surgery, the right‑hander missed two full seasons before finally returning to the mound in 2025. The early returns suggested a setback, with a 5.26 ERA in Triple‑A last year and a 7.06 ERA at the start of this campaign, but the narrative is shifting.
What’s changed, however, is the quality of his fastball. In his most recent outings he has logged five swinging strikes on just 15 pitches, sitting comfortably at 97.3 mph and showing a marked increase in induced vertical break. That improvement has turned a previously mediocre offering into a very good weapon, allowing him to miss more bats and keep hitters off balance.
The transformation isn’t limited to his fastball. Painter has also refined a changeup that he introduced in Triple‑A, and the pitch has already shown solid results since his comeback. In a recent start against the Cardinals he tossed seven shutout innings, surrendering only a single hit while the newfound movement on his fastball helped him dominate the opposition.
Those performances have not gone unnoticed in the fantasy community. With Week 23 of the waiver wire approaching, analysts are already flagging Painter as a top priority target, citing his upside and the potential for a breakout season if he can stay healthy and build on his recent dominance.
While it’s still early in his recovery, the combination of a revitalized fastball, an effective changeup, and a track record of high‑level talent suggests that Painter could become a valuable asset for any roster willing to take a chance on a pitcher who may finally realize his early promise.