Zack Wheeler's Return to the Phillies Expected Sooner Rather than Later

The Philadelphia Phillies could get right-hander Zack Wheeler back sooner than previously expected, according to a report from The Athletic's Matt Gelb.

Per Gelb, "There's been a lot of optimism among the Phillies about how he's progressed. I think it's going to be closer to April 1 than June 1. They're confident Wheeler will be back sooner rather than later."

MLB.com's Paul Casella recently shared skepticism about Wheeler returning to the field closer to April 1 full-time. Casella intimated that Wheeler could be brought along slowly even if he's back on the mound. Wheeler is throwing from 90 feet on flat ground right now.

"The Phillies, obviously, aren't going to rush Wheeler along this spring," Casella prefaced before saying, "All reports this offseason are that his rehab from thoracic outlet decompression surgery is going well, but there's still a long way to go. At the time of his procedure on Sept. 23, the Phillies said the expected timeline for recovery was six to eight months. That would put the window between late March and late May.

"Even if Wheeler gets on a mound soon and is close to ready when Spring Training starts, it's worth noting that he obviously didn't go through his normal offseason throwing program. So, expect the Phillies to bring him along slowly, especially if the other five potential starters -- Cristopher Sánchez, Jesús Luzardo, Aaron Nola, Taijuan Walker and Andrew Painter (Phillies' No. 1 prospect) -- are healthy."

In November, Phillies President Dave Dombrowski said the end of May is the likeliest return date. If Gelb's report is correct, Wheeler may beat the odds.

Zack Wheeler Would've Been on Team USA for WBC

Team USA manager Mark DeRosa recently revealed that Wheeler would've been chosen for the World Baseball Classic to compete with or against his rotation-mates Aaron Nola, Cristopher Sanchez, and Taijuan Walker.

"I called (Zack) Wheeler," DeRosa said. "Wheeler was in until he went down (in August when he underwent surgery to remove a blood clot in his right shoulder)."

It's been a mostly rough stretch of news for Wheeler, but there's a silver lining.

Whatever his health is, Philadelphia has the talent to stay afloat until he's back, setting him up to be the heroic piece that puts the Phillies over the top.

And if he shows he's the same guy when healthy, he'll still have the respect of his peers in baseball.