The Philadelphia Phillies optioned Andrew Painter to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Wednesday, a move that came after the young right-hander was roughed up in another start.
The touted rookie allowed six runs in two innings of a 12-4 loss to the Miami Marlins. His ERA rose to 7.06 and his record dropped to 1-8.
Painters, ESPN's 27th-ranked prospect in all of baseball entering the season, got off to a great start to 2026, allowing one run and striking out eight in his lone win, against the Washington Nationals on March 31.
But he's struggled mightily since.
He's now allowed 14 home runs in 14 starts. And Wednesday marked the third straight appearance in which he's allowed at least five earned runs, tying the longest streak by a Phillies pitcher in the last 10 seasons.
"It's very frustrating," Painter told reporters after the game. "You want to go out there and have success all the time, so not being able to do that has been very hard."
Philadelphia said the corresponding roster move will be announced Thursday.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.