BETHLEHEM — The annual Phillies Caravan visited the Events Center at Artsquest in Bethlehem recently. Making the trip this year was Phillies manager Rob Thomson, general manager Preston Mattingly, and radio broadcaster Tom McCarthy.

The three met with fans prior to the event and then delivered comments and answered questions from fans. The annual event raises money for IronPigs Charities, which benefits various organizations throughout the Lehigh Valley.

Pitcher Andrew Painter was a big topic of discussion. The right-hander, who pitched for the IronPigs last season, is penciled into the starting rotation to open the season. He is coming off of a sub-par season with Lehigh Valley thanks in part to his loss of command from earlier in his career.

Painter had undergone Tommy John surgery in 2023, and pitchers who do so generally find that the last part of their game to return to form is their command.

“It’s just his command,” said Thomson. “His stuff last year was really good; he had the velocity on his fastball, the breaking pitches, they were all plus-pitches. He got away from the strike zone a little bit, and that’s normal coming off of Tommy John.

“Usually the second year, you’re getting back to normal and just trying to get the command to return.”

The manager believes that Painter will be up to the challenge and able to slot into the rotation. The Phillies need help from both Painter and Taijuan Walker to start the season. Ace Zack Wheeler is likely to open the year on the injured list as he returns from thoracic outlet syndrome surgery, while Ranger Suarez signed with the Boston Red Sox as a free agent.

The hope is that once Wheeler returns, Painter will be pitching well enough to stay in the rotation.

Thomson also spoke at length about new bench coach Don Mattingly, who was in the same position with the Toronto Blue Jays last year before jumping ship and joining the Phillies organization for the 2026 season.

Mattingly brings something to the coaching staff that Thomson believes has been missing.

“I believe that we have the best coaching staff in baseball,” said Thomson. “One thing we haven’t had is that star player who played many years. He’s a guy that even the veterans on our team can go to because he’s been through the ups and downs of many seasons and knows what these guys go through.

“For young players, he’s going to be someone for them to really rely on and take what he says perhaps more seriously because he’s been through a lot and has the credentials to go with his time in the majors.”

For Preston Mattingly, having his dad on the coaching staff brings another plus.

“For once in his life, he’s going to have to listen to me,” said the general manager with a smile. “Seriously, he brings a lot to the staff. He’s going to be a valuable resource for the rest of the coaches, and for Topper (Rob Thomson). I think players like (Kyle) Schwarber and (Bryce) Harper and others, have respect for a guy like him and realize he can be a resource for them.

“The biggest thing I have taken from him personally is how he treats people. Whether it’s players, whether it’s staff members, just treat everybody with respect no matter what role they’re in. I always try to carry that forward and treat people with respect no matter who they are.”

Mattingly also spoke about the trend in baseball for teams to offer opt-outs to players and give deferred payments.

The deferred payment angle led the Dodgers to be able to sign Kyle Tucker, and the opt-out part of the situation allowed the Mets to structure a deal for Bo Bichette that saw him jump from the Phillies to the Mets just before signing in Philadelphia.

“A lot of teams look at different ways to structure contracts. I don’t know if it’s right or wrong one way or the other, so I don’t really have an opinion on it one way or the other,” said Mattingly, who has not had an opportunity to put much thought into the odds for a potential work stoppage after the 2026 season when the Collective Bargaining Agreement runs out.

“I’ve been spending so much time on getting ready for 2026 that I honestly haven’t even put much thought into that. We’ve been busy just focusing on the upcoming season. That’s something for people higher up in baseball to work on, anyway. I’m just focusing on my job and our situation.”