Zack Wheeler Hasn’t Missed a Beat in Return to Phillies Rotation

There was a lot that went wrong for the Philadelphia Phillies that contributed to a brutal start to the 2026 regular season.

One of the biggest disappointments was the performance of the starting rotation, which was supposed to be a strength of the team. Taijuan Walker, Aaron Nola and Jesus Luzardo all had struggles, leading to the Phillies having the worst starting pitching ERA a few weeks into the season.

It was one of the reasons that Rob Thomson was fired 28 games into the season and replaced by Don Mattingly on an interim basis. The team has been performing at a much higher level since the change, and starting pitching is a big reason why.

Of course, it always helps when you get a Cy Young contender back in the mix. On April 25, Zack Wheeler made his return from the injured list after recovering from a blood clot and thoracic outlet syndrome.

Zack Wheeler has been great in return to Phillies

Apr 25, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) throws against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at Truist Park. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

He was thrown right into the fire, facing off against the Atlanta Braves. With the Phillies riding a 10-game losing streak, he did everything he could to help put the team in a position to win, throwing five solid innings in his 2026 debut.

Wheeler didn’t factor into the decision, as Tanner Banks promptly blew the game when he relieved the veteran starter in the sixth inning. But Philadelphia came away with an 8-5 victory in 10 innings.

There were some concerns about Wheeler coming off the injured list because of depleted velocity during rehab starts. Alas, that hasn’t stopped the veteran righty from performing at a high level in the Major Leagues.

He took the mound for his second start of the season against the Miami Marlins and dominated. Wheeler threw six innings, allowing only three hits and two walks that resulted in one earned run. Xavier Edwards had an RBI double in the bottom of the first to knock in Otto Lopez, but he settled in after that.

Ooooh we missed this so much pic.twitter.com/ikXYoH42Nn
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) May 2, 2026

He would finish the outing with eight strikeouts, putting together a vintage performance to lead the Phillies to a 6-5 lead. Things got hairy toward the end, again, with Jonathan Bowlan being charged with three earned runs in the eighth inning and Brad Keller being charged with one in the ninth.

Despite the close call, it was certainly encouraging to see Wheeler perform at such a high level, putting the team in a position to win for the second time in as many outings. Inserting him into the rotation for Walker, who was released after a disastrous start, has helped get the team on track.

After looking dead in the water not even a week ago, Philadelphia is now one of the hottest teams in baseball. They are riding a four-game winning streak, thus far taking advantage of a softer portion of their schedule after facing the Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves in 13 consecutive games.

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