August 18, 2025
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Zack Wheeler has no timeline yet to return.
Zack Wheeler underwent a procedure on Monday morning to clear out the blood clot that was discovered near his right shoulder.
The operation was performed by Dr. Paul DiMuzio at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and was a success.
Further treatment and a timeline for recovery, however, are to be determined, the Phillies said Monday.
So, indefinitely, the Phillies are without Zack Wheeler, the ace. But bigger than that, the Phillies are without Zack Wheeler, the person.
"That's what we're thinking of first and foremost," reliever Matt Strahm said from the Citizens Bank Park clubhouse. "He's a dad. His family comes first, so that's what we need to be worried about."
"A lot of people ask about the pitching staff and the team, but right now my thoughts are just about him," manager Rob Thomson later said from the Phillies' dugout. "This isn't like a hamstring or a calf. This is real, this is life, and so my thoughts are constantly on him and his family.
"Hopefully, everything works out. So far, so good."
Thomson couldn't say whether Wheeler would return to pitch again this season.
"We don't know," he said. "We don't know until we get further information."
Followed up on the thought of whether the clot could be career-threatening, Thomson could only reply, "I don't know."
Zack Wheeler had to go on the injured list due to his blood clot.
On the field, the Phillies will have to find their way by, if and when their star right-hander can come back.
For the time being, Thomson said that the club will stick with a five-man starting pitching rotation. Aaron Nola's return on Sunday in D.C. essentially gave everyone an extra day off and reset the order, the manager continued.
Ranger Suárez will open up the series against the visiting Seattle Mariners later Monday night in the Phillies' return home to South Philadelphia. Cristopher Sánchez will start on Tuesday, then Jesús Luzardo is expected to close out on Wednesday, with Taijuan Walker and then Nola taking up the next two turns against the Nationals this weekend after a Thursday off day.
Responsibility also suddenly shifts, too.
Sánchez, amid his dominant season, now serves as the rotation's No. 1. Walker and Luzardo will be out to maintain their consistency, and now there is greater pressure on Suárez and Nola to recapture theirs.
The Phillies' greatest strength has always been in their starting pitching, but it's always been led by Wheeler at the top.
And with the depth and talent exhibited throughout the season, it still can be. The staff just can't approach themselves differently, Thomson stressed.
"As I told everybody: 'Just be yourselves,'" Thomson said. "'That's all we can do. Don't try to be anybody else,' because they're good enough."
For if and when Wheeler can come back.
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