PHILADELPHIA — Andrew Painter threw around liberally a word that the Phillies have generally not used in regard to him.

It was “failure,” which is how he regarded junctures of 2025 at Lehigh Valley.

The company line from the organization, when hopes of Painter joining the big league club last fall for a stretch-run boost didn’t materialize, was that someone two years removed from Tommy John surgery throwing 118 innings at a relatively high level constituted a type of success.

It wasn’t the success that Painter wanted. Though it now provides an inflection point for taking the final step on his pathway to the pros.

“It’s definitely been a long road,” Painter said Monday, a day before he’s slated to make his major league debut. “I’m grateful for it, grateful for all the failure. Last year was a tough one, but I think I learned a lot from it. It’s been a long journey, but I’m super grateful for all the people that have been a part of it.”

Success and failure have always been a matter of expectations for one of baseball’s top pitching prospects. That he could make his MLB debut week before his 23rd birthday and still be considered behind schedule is a testament to his prodigious potential.

The 6-7 righty seemed poised to be a big spring away from a starting spot in 2023 before elbow soreness led to a wait-and-see period led to Tommy John surgery in July. It would rob him of two full seasons. An impressive stint in the Arizona Fall League in 2024 raised hopes that the organization tempered in 2025.

The rest was done by his performance at Triple-A Lehigh Valley: A 5-6 record and 5.40 ERA in 22 starts and 106.2 innings. Strikeout numbers were down from 2022, and 18 home runs in 22 starts was a potentially worrying sign of his command.

Not being in a position to help the big-league team last year was a disappointment for Painter, but one he’s come to see as a blessing.

“I think Triple A was a good place to get the failure out and really experience it there, because I think you go through and if you don’t have any failure and you hit it at the big leagues, I think that’s really tough,” he said. “So being able to get that first little bit of failure in my career, not on the biggest stage, was a good thing.”

“He is a mature guy and smart,” manager Rob Thomson said. “I think he understands that it would be tough to have your first failure here at the big-league level. So I think being able to go through that, that’s what part of the minor leagues is for, to be able to go through it and have failure, whether you’re a hitter or a pitcher or whatever, and come out of it. And you know that the next time you have failure, you’re going to come out.”

Painter was solid in the spring, working 11.2 innings over four starts. He posted a 2.31 ERA, with two walks, eight strikeouts and just one home run allowed. The fifth spot in the starting rotation was earmarked for him in the winter, and he did nothing to prove he didn’t deserve it.

And so comes Tuesday against the Nationals, when the 13th overall pick in the 2021 draft will finally get his moment at Citizens Bank Park.

The Phillies have structured the best conditions possible. He’ll get a Nationals team that lost 96 games last year. His first appearance will be his fifth day in Philadelphia, with a chance to familiarize himself with his teammates and surroundings. The team had him throw a simulated game in the park on the workout day just to get the literal lay of the land.

“I definitely get to get settled in a little bit, kind of get familiar with the lay of the land up here and the everyday scheduling, the ins and outs of it,” he said. “So just getting my feet wet has been great these past couple days.”

He’s even not going through this alone: Most of what applies to Painter Tuesday was dry-run last Thursday for Justin Crawford, who debuted in center field with two hits. They share some of the rookie spotlight, perhaps easing each’s burden, and they get the same drill of veterans clearing the way.

“It’s a great rotation,” he said. “There’s a lot of people, a lot of information, a lot of things you can kind of pick and take away from each of them. So I’ve just tried to be a sponge and listen to the conversations and get the advice and just see what ways I can apply it to myself.”

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NOTES >> Thomson declined Monday to put a hard and fast limit on Painter’s usage this season. The club said it will use objective markers like how his body is holding up (arm angle and extension, velocity, etc.) as well as the subjective results to determine that as the season progresses. … Facing a left-handed starting pitcher for the third straight game, Thomson opted to sit Bryson Stott and Crawford Monday night, with Brandon Marsh playing in center. That’s despite Crawford having reverse splits as a left-handed hitter against left-handed pitchers in the minors. “Just to give him a little reprieve from all these left-handed starters,” Thomson said. “But he handles lefties pretty good.” … There’s nothing new on Aidan Miller (back), who continues to do glove work and a throwing program but hasn’t picked up a bat. Gabriel Rincones (knee soreness) continues to do everything but play in games at Triple A. Max Lazar (oblique strain) is throwing off a mound at a limited distance and is slated for a full bullpen Tuesday.