Phillies Shake Up Rotation With Zack Wheeler No Longer Starting Tuesday

The expected birth of Zack Wheeler's fourth child has resulted in the Philadelphia Phillies to shake up their rotation.

May 23, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) walks back towards the dugout after the fourth inning against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park | Dennis Lee-Imagn Images

Zack Wheeler was slated to get the ball for the Philadelphia Phillies road opener against the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday.

That is no longer the case.

According to Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia, the superstar ace has been moved out of the rotation during this series since he and his wife, Dominique, are expecting their fourth child.

Now, Cristopher Sanchez is scheduled to get the ball to begin the three-game set, with Mick Abel slated to make his second start of his Major League career on Wednesday and Jesus Luzardo getting the ball for the finale.

Not having Wheeler in this matchup makes winning more difficult, especially since the Blue Jays have been dominant at home in the early going of the season with the second-most runs scored when they play in the Rogers Centre.

Sanchez's home-road splits are less drastic this year than they were in 2024, with him actually performing better on the road compared to at Citizens Bank Park this season, a stark difference from when his road ERA was more than double his home ERA last year.

Abel dazzled in his first start to the tune of putting his name into the franchise record books, but with there now being tape on him and him going into an unfamiliar environment, it's hard to predict what he might do for a follow up.

Luzardo is coming off the worst start of his career, so conventional wisdom would suggest he will have a better outing on Thursday.

Toronto's probable starters are Bowden Francis on Tuesday, Jose Berrios on Wednesday and Chris Bassitt on Thursday.

As for the upcoming Pittsburgh Pirates road series that begins on Friday, it's not clear if Wheeler will be back in the rotation for that set.