Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler has been everything the organization and fans could have wanted him to be since joining the team in December 2019. The right-hander has had a sub-3.00 ERA in four of the last five seasons and has a 2.71 ERA across 24 starts in 2025.
Additionally, Wheeler has a 2.18 ERA and a 0.73 WHIP over 12 career playoff games with Philadelphia. With the team five games ahead of the New York Mets for first place in the NL East, it looked like the 35-year-old would get another chance to pitch in the postseason this year.
However, that’s now in question after Saturday’s news, via The Athletic’s Charlotte Varnes.
Wheeler was diagnosed with a blood clot in his right shoulder and placed on the 15-day IL before the team’s bout with the Washington Nationals. Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber later commented on the situation.
“Baseball is baseball,” the 32-year-old said. “When it comes to someone’s health like that, we need him healthy first. He’s got a family, so we want to get him feeling good for them, and get him back to speed whenever we can.”
Here’s an updated story on Zack Wheeler with comments from teammates & manager Rob Thomson, and what this could mean for the Phillies rotation going forward: https://t.co/gOqyPYFpVZ
— Charlotte Varnes (@charlottevarnes) August 17, 2025
Zack Wheeler’s Recovery Timeline Unknown
The team will conduct further testing to determine a recovery timeline the week of August 17, but there’s no guarantee that Wheeler will be available for the playoffs, via Varnes. It would be a devastating loss if the three-time All-Star doesn’t return, as he leads baseball with 195 strikeouts and is fourth with a 0.94 WHIP. He’s also eighth in ERA.
Southpaw Cristopher Sanchez has also been elite for the Phillies this season, as he’s fourth with a 2.45 ERA and 11th with 157 strikeouts. However, the rest of their rotation is shaky.
Fellow southpaw Jesus Luzardo has a 4.21 ERA, and southpaw Ranger Suarez has a 6.75 ERA in August. Meanwhile, right-hander Aaron Nola has a 6.16 ERA in nine starts this year.
Although the team is on top of the division, it’s also 8.5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers for the NL’s top seed, and Wheeler’s absence will make that gap even harder to close. Teams that finish as the top seeds in their leagues guarantee home-field advantage in their respective Division and Championship Series.
Up next for Philadelphia is another matchup with Washington on Sunday morning. Nola will start on the mound against Nationals southpaw Mitchell Parker.
