Zack Wheeler on 15-Day Injured List with Significant Injury
The Philadelphia Phillies are looking to step up, but could be without pitcher Zack Wheeler for a significant amount of time. The Phillies are fighting to stay atop of the National League East and could be without their ace pitcher for some time. Let’s take a deeper dive into what happened and what we know at this time with Zack Wheeler’s injury.
Zack Wheeler Dealing with Blood Clots
The Athletic’s Charlotte Varnes is reporting that veteran starting pitcher Zack Wheeler is going to be placed on the 15-day Injured List as it has been discovered that he has a blood clot in his right upper extremity, which is close to his shoulder. It is uncertain exactly how long he will be out of action or even if he will be able to return at any point this season. Zack Wheeler is pitching well this year as he is 10-5 with a 2.71 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP in 149.2 innings.
Wheeler was named to the 2025 National League All-Star team and was second in the 2024 NL Cy Young Award race. For the Philadelphia Phillies, it is unclear how they will be replacing Zack Wheeler in the starting rotation at this time. However, highly-touted prospect Andrew Painter could be called up to fill the spot. This is going to be a bit of a damper for the team who have created a 5.5-game lead in the National League East as of this writing.
Losing Zack Wheeler is going to be difficult and with no timetable for his return makes things even more challenging. Wheeler last pitched on Friday against the Washington Nationals, so he cannot be retroactively placed on the Injured List. It will be intriguing to see if Wheeler is able to get back on the mound as he is in the first year of a massive three-year, $126 million contract extension.
