Zack Wheeler Correctly Named NL Comeback Player of the Year

The Philadelphia Phillies suffered a massive loss on their pitching staff when Zack Wheeler had his season cut short because of a blood clot in 2025.

He made his last start on Aug. 15, and without him, the team sputtered down the stretch. Any team that would have to go multiple weeks to finish a season and be without their ace in the playoffs would struggle, and that was the case for the Phillies.

Luckily, they knew that Wheeler would be back on the mound at some point in 2026. The question was, how effective would he be? He turned 36 years old in May, so it was anyone’s guess if he would be able to regain that dominant form he has shown the last few years.

Those doubts were quickly put to rest, with the veteran righty looking as sharp as ever. Given how well he pitched in his return, he was a deserving recipient of the MLBPA Players Choice Awards National League Comeback Player of the Year.

Zack Wheeler is deserving of Comeback Player of the Year Award

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) pitches against the Washington Nationals. — Sep 16, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) pitches against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In a post made by the team’s official account on X, they made a clever quip about what Wheeler had to overcome to get back on the mound this season. He had a rib removed as part of the process, but that didn’t stop him from performing at a high level.

He made his season debut on April 25 against the Atlanta Braves, helping the team to an 8-5 victory in 10 innings with five strong frames of work. Wheeler allowed only three hits and issued three walks, resulting in two earned runs, to go along with six strikeouts.

His return to the rotation helped stabilize things for Philadelphia, which was receiving underwhelming production from Aaron Nola, Andrew Painter and Taijuan Walker, who was designated for assignment.

With Wheeler back in the mix, the team’s performance started to improve. He combined with Cristopher Sanchez and Jesus Luzardo to make the best starting pitching trio in MLB, and they carried the team throughout the summer.

Missing a rib but didn’t miss a beat

Congratulations to Zack Wheeler on winning the @MLBPA Players Choice Awards NL Comeback Player of the Year 👏 pic.twitter.com/QsNhpsfslO
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) October 28, 2026

Wheeler was showcasing that ace form he had in 2025. Had he gotten a full season under his belt, he would have been a contender for the NL Cy Young Award once again. Even though he made only 28 starts, he will almost certainly receive some votes down the ballot for how well he performed.

Wheeler went 14-5 with a 3.00 ERA acoss 162 innings. He struck out 193 batters and had a 3.35 FIP. His 6.0 bWAR is the third-highest single-season mark of his career. Only the 7.5 he produced in 2021, which led the MLB, and the 6.5 he had in 2024, which led the NL, were higher.

In both of those campaigns, he finished in second place in the NL Cy Young Award voting. He won’t be that high in 2026, but he is showing no signs of slowing down despite being on the back end of his career.

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