Phillies’ Andrew Painter Warns Of ‘Losing Vision’ After Surprise Health Setback

Q: What health issue caused Andrew Painter to be scratched from his start?

Andrew Painter was scratched from his start due to a migraine.

Q: How did Andrew Painter perform after entering the game against the Diamondbacks?

Andrew Painter logged an encouraging outing after entering the game in the third inning.

Q: What was the outcome of the Phillies' series against the Arizona Diamondbacks?

The Philadelphia Phillies lost their series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, marking their second consecutive series loss.

Q: When did Andrew Painter make his third career start for the Phillies?

Andrew Painter was scheduled to make his third career start on the day he experienced a migraine, but he entered the game later.

PHILADELPHIA, PA - MARCH 31: Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Andrew Painter #24 looks on during the game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Washington Nationals on March 31st, 2026 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia PA. (Photo by Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Philadelphia Phillies ended their series against the Arizona Diamondbacks with a loss on Sunday, dropping their second set in a row to a National League contender following a lost series against the San Francisco Giants.

But even though the team didn’t get the result it was looking for, things could have been worse. On what was supposed to be the day of his third career start, top rookie Andrew Painter was scratched with a migraine. But he did enter the game in the third inning and logged an encouraging outing.

“About 45 minutes before the Phillies’ ugly 4-3 loss to the Diamondbacks, the Phillies scratched Painter from his start,” Todd Zolecki wrote for MLB.com. “Painter started the third inning — he felt good enough to long toss before the game and sit in the bullpen — and allowed three hits, one run and one walk and struck out seven in five innings… Painter left with a 3-2 lead.”

Philadelphia Phillies Rookie Andrew Painter Scratched After Persistent Migraine Issue Flares

After the game, Painter shared some additional details about his health leading up to the relief appearance and his ongoing struggles with migraines.

He woke up with a migraine, which is something he has experienced since childhood. He took some medicine at home before the game on Sunday and sat in the clubhouse shortly before the scheduled first pitch, attempting to manage his pain at his locker.

“Three hours before a scheduled 1:35 p.m. first pitch at Citizens Bank Park,he sat in a chair in front of his locker with a hood pulled over his head and wired earphones in his ears as teammates chatted, putted on the nearby putting green and walked to the batting cage and field for pregame work,” Zolecki reported. “He was feeling better.”

Philadelphia Phillies Rookie Andrew Painter Reveals Vision Issues With ‘Ocular Migraine’

Though Painter recovered in time to eat some important innings for the pitching staff, the revelation of his longstanding trouble with migraines will have come as a surprise to some fans. And he noted that this was a relatively mild case, as sometimes his migraines can cause him to lose his vision.

“Sometimes I have an ocular migraine and I’ll kind of start losing vision,” Painter explained in his postgame interview, per a video shared on X by On Pattison. “This wasn’t one of those, luckily. So, I just woke up this morning and didn’t feel good.”

Painter lowered his season ERA to 3.37 with Sunday’s performance and he has 16 strikeouts in his first 14.1 innings against big-league hitters. As he looks to build on what has been a strong start to his career, the Phillies will be hoping he can avoid any other migraine-induced setbacks before his starts.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com