Zack Wheeler Sent Discouraging Update on Phillies Return

The Philadelphia Phillies are not expecting right-hander Zack Wheeler to be an impact arm in their rotation anytime soon after the discovery of venous thoracic outlet syndrome last August that ended his 2025 season early.

Per MLB.com's Paul Casella, while Wheeler is back throwing from 90 feet on flat ground, he not only has to work back to the mound, but he also has to overcome a loaded rotation that could be full ahead of him.

"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."

Phillies manager Rob Thomson didn't get anyone's hopes up about Wheeler's status despite the positive health update.

"I don't know where Wheeler's going to be at when we get to Spring Training," Thomson said last week. "He's up to 90 feet right now. He looks good, but there's no guarantees when he's going to get up on the mound."

Zack Wheeler Expected to be Back in May

Per Phillies President Dave Dombrowski on Wheeler's return, "The timeline remains six to eight months to be back pitching in a major-league game — so that takes you to end of May. I don’t think it’ll affect us a great deal because we’re looking for him to come back on that timeline.”

With so many arms expected to hold the fort down, Wheeler's return shouldn't be risked. Vascular TOS has better outcomes than Neuronic TOS, but there's still no guarantee Wheeler will return to being the same player at all.

Get to the summer, and Thompson and Co. may have a natural addition near the trade deadline who won't cost the team a single asset.

Let's hope Wheeler can make it back by then. If not, there may be some rough news to follow.