Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler could be return from an injury by the end of spring training. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
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Boy, do Phillies fans need some good news. Well, here’s some:
Phillies ace Zack Wheeler is on track to return early next season — maybe even by the end of spring training — according to team president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, who held his annual season-end press conference in which he discussed a slew of topics, including Wheeler’s health.
Back in August, Wheeler got diagnosed with a blood clot in his throwing shoulder, leading to season-ending surgery to repair thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS). Wheeler will begin an exercise and throwing program next week to rehab his arm, Dombrowski said.
“He’s been resting so far. He feels fine. He feels like he should. Nothing has changed. He could be back in six to eight months (after the surgery) pitching for us, and that’s pitching in a game at the Major League level,” Dombrowski said.
According to Dombrowski’s timeframe, Wheeler could make the 2026 Opening Day roster or return by the end of May at the latest. It would be a huge victory for Wheeler — and the Phillies — to have him return at any point in the first two months of the season, especially considering how cloudy his future looked when he got diagnosed.
Several prominent pitchers’ careers have been significantly impacted or ended by TOS, such as Matt Harvey and Josh Beckett, who struggled to return to their previous performance levels.
But Dombrowski said each TOS case is different and the expectation is Wheeler will return to ace-level form. At the time of his injury, he had a 10-5 record and 2.71 ERA, and doing stuff like this:
“I feel much more optimistic than when I first heard about it,” Dombrowski said. “(Doctors) feel comfortable that he should come back with the same ability he had in the past.”
And because Wheeler’s outlook looks so promising, Dombrowski said he doesn’t feel a need to fill his void this off-season. “I don’t think it will affect us a great deal with what we do because we are looking for him to come back,” he said.
Dombrowski also said he’s excited to see Wheeler and Cristopher Sánchez fronting the rotation by early 2026. Sanchez emerged as a second ace this past season, with a 13-5 record and 2.50 ERA. Dombrowski added, “I would rather have Zack Wheeler back and Cristopher Sánchez. That’s the reality of it.” And so would every Phillies fan.