Predicting What Rest of the Season Will Look Like for Phillies Ace Zack Wheeler

What will the rest of the season look like for Philadelphia Phillies ace Zack Wheeler?

Aug 10, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) throws during the first inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

After sweeping the Texas Rangers, the Philadelphia Phillies have started to build some momentum, which they carried over to start their series with the Cincinnati Reds.

Since the trade deadline, the Phillies have been playing some excellent baseball with a good overall team performance.

The franchise has leaned heavily on their rotation for most of the way, but now their bullpen has been one of the best in the league since acquiring star closer Jhoan Duran. Furthermore, Kyle Schwarber is making the National League MVP race an interesting one.

The star slugger is going toe-to-toe with Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the home run race for the NL. With the Phillies starting to win now, Schwaber is making his case for NL MVP.

Due to their success, Philadelphia has opened up a nice lead now in the NL East over the New York Mets. With the Mets free-falling, the Phillies have been able to take advantage of their hot streak.

Even though things are going very well, there is a reason to be concerned about one of the key players for the team.

Eric Karabell of ESPN recently wrote about what to expect from Phillies ace Zack Wheeler heading down the stretch.

“He's 1-2 with a 4.71 ERA, seven HRs and five HBPs in his past five starts -- must concern the Phillies, especially when his slump has come with recent diminished fastball velocity, likely due to shoulder stiffness that pushed his weekend start back a few days.”

Even though it has been a fantastic campaign for Wheeler so far, there have been some struggles of late. Seeing the team push back his scheduled start a couple of days because of shoulder soreness is a bit of an indication that he isn’t 100 percent.

Should Wheeler Get Some Rest?

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

However, Wheeler has been a workhorse for the team since arriving, and perhaps a break is going to be needed at some point down the stretch. While he has had a great year, he hasn’t quite been the same of late.

In his last five starts, he has allowed multiple earned runs in all of them, which, after an amazing July, is a bit concerning. Furthermore, while he can't be expected to be perfect, the drop in fastball velocity could be a result of that shoulder not being 100 percent.

Even though Philadelphia hasn’t locked anything up yet, perhaps giving Wheeler a pass through the rotation would help him. It doesn’t seem like there is anything structurally wrong with him, but it does seem like he could use a rest.

Overall, Wheeler has been a true ace and an NL Cy Young candidate this year, but at 35 years old, the Phillies must be careful with him down the stretch.