Phillies Push Back Zach Wheeler After Undergoing MRI on Shoulder

The Philadelphia Phillies recently had a bit of an injury scare from their ace.

Jul 21, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) checks the baseball after allowing a run during the sixth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Citizens Bank Park | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Even though the Philadelphia Phillies are starting to hit their stride, they recently got a little bit of an injury scare.

The Phillies have been led by one of the best starting rotations in baseball throughout the season. This unit has carried them and covered up a lot of the flaws with the bullpen and the inconsistencies in the lineup.

In the rotation, the clear ace of the staff has been Zack Wheeler. The right-hander is coming off finishing in second place for the NL Cy Young award in 2024 and has been arguably just as good this campaign.

Recently, he suffered a bit of a scare with some shoulder tightness. Fortunately, everything came back good on the MRI, and he has had his scheduled start pushed back to Sunday against the Texas Rangers.

Phillies are bumping Zack Wheeler back two days to Sunday. He complained of some shoulder stiffness. They sent him for an MRI. It was clean, Rob Thomson said. Wheeler played catch today.

— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) August 6, 2025

The All-Star has been a workhorse for the Phillies since he signed with the team. So far this campaign, he has totaled a 9-5 record and 2.64 ERA. Wheeler is currently in a battle with Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates for the NL Cy Young this season. Skenes has had an incredible year as well, but the race is a close one as of now.

While Philadelphia certainly held its breath about Wheeler’s shoulder, the news that everything seems to be alright is good.

Even though the rotation for the Phillies has a lot of talent, an injury to Wheeler would be something they wouldn't be able to overcome. Now, he will be facing Patrick Corbin on Sunday in the series finale. Hopefully, nothing happens in the next few days, and the veteran right-hander will be good to go.