February 10, 2026
Eric Hartline/Imagn Images
Zack Wheeler hopes to return not long after the 2026 season starts.
The truck has made its way to Clearwater. Pitchers and catchers will officially kickstart Phillies spring training on Wednesday with the first round of workouts.
Spring is in the air for the Phillies – even if it still feels like the entire Northeast is trapped inside polar ice caps
Happy baseball season to all who celebrate! pic.twitter.com/J4IFdTAj5L
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) February 9, 2026
The rest of the team will report Monday, and the Grapefruit League opener will take place the following Friday against the defending American League champion Blue Jays in Dunedin.
The two-time defending National League East champs enter camp with some significant questions, including the health of ace Zack Wheeler, the status of outfielder Nick Castellanos, and the team's plan to continue upgrading the overall roster before the March 26 season opener against the Texas Rangers in South Philly.
Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski and manager Rob Thomson held a pre-camp Zoom with reporters on Monday and covered a wide range of topics. The team put a five-minute edited version of the Zoom on its website.
The Phillies have said all offseason they have an optimistic outlook on Wheeler as the star right-hander returns from late September thoracic outlet decompression surgery. The belief all along has been that Wheeler wouldn't miss much regular season action.
Thomson confirmed in a video call with the media that Wheeler isn't earmarked to be ready for Opening Day but remained confident that "it's not going to be too far behind that" for the 35-year-old and three-time All-Star.
Thomson also said Wheeler is still throwing from 90 feet away, in this clip posted from NBC Sports Philly:
"I don't think he'll be ready for Opening Day."
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) February 9, 2026
Rob Thomson provides an update on Zack Wheeler's progress. pic.twitter.com/U7F0DDBxJ1
If you want to learn more about Wheeler's surgery, and why his wasn't as debilitating as other TOS surgeries for pitchers, catch our recent story featuring analysis from a sports orthopedist.
The Phillies tried to upgrade their offense this offseason and thought they had a deal with All-Star free agent infielder Bo Bichette until the Mets swooped in with an 11th-hour offer, but don't expect the Phillies to be hunting another bat leading up to, or during, spring training.
Dombrowski told reporters that he'll continue to seek starting pitching depth and believes the late kickstart to free agency this offseason will lead to some spring trade activity around the league, as USA Today Insider Bob Nightengale reported.
Dave Dombrowski says the Phillies will look for starting pitching depth this spring and anticipates there will be more trade activity than usual with the late developing free-agent market https://t.co/6qYw0WvkwZ
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) February 9, 2026
Dombrowski made it pretty clear that he's actually looking to subtract, and that his priority is to have right fielder Nick Castellanos traded before Monday's report date for position players.
"We continue to talk to clubs about that, and that's our focus prior to the start of spring training, so that's something we will continue to work on this week," he said, via NBC Sports Philly.
Will he be at camp? 👀
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) February 10, 2026
Dave Dombrowski responds to questions regarding Nick Castellanos' status with the team. pic.twitter.com/BY1UiyH1z2
Dombrowski was asked if Castellanos would be expected to report next Monday if he's still a part of the Phillies, but he suggested that wouldn't be a realistic scenario.
"At this point we're doing everything we can to make a move by that time period," he answered. "So I'll leave it that right now."
Gage Wood, the electrifying right-hander taken by the Phillies at 25th overall in the draft last June, could be in the majors sooner than later.
Dombrowski said the former Arkansas ace, who threw just the third no-hitter in College World Series history, "is a person that can come very quickly," per this video from John Foley (@2008Philz).
Dave Dombrowski discussing Gage Wood today: pic.twitter.com/1aCiSBhbOu
— John Foley (@2008Philz) February 9, 2026
After throwing 37 innings for Arkansas last season, Wood made one appearance post-draft for Single-A Clearwater, allowing one run on one hit and walking two in two innings, striking out five of the nine batters he faced.
"We think he has a chance to move very fast," Dombrowski said, adding that Wood has shown progress in the team's high-performance camp. "His stuff has been very good."
There were some questions about Wood's role at the major-league level – starter or reliever – but Dombrowski said the team's plan right now is to make him a starter, which means Wood might hit his innings count earlier than expected and probably won't be in the majors in 2025.
"But for his overall development, I think it'll be good for him and good for the organization in the long run," Dombrowski added. "We like him a lot. We think he has a good chance to be a very, very good pitcher."
Wood is the team's fourth-highest ranked prospect, per MLB.com, behind the big three of Aidan Miller, Andrew Painter and Justin Crawford.
On the subject of Painter, who returned from Tommy John surgery last year and struggled deeper into the season but is expected to challenge for a spot in the big league rotation, Thomson said the big right-hander has already been working in South Florida and that all feedback has been positive.
"He looks really good," Thomson said. "He looks like he did a couple of years ago before the Tommy John. I'm excited to see what we got."
• On Friday, the team announced that utility man Dylan Moore and RHP Daniel Robert would attend spring training as non-roster invitees. Moore has spent most of his seven seasons and 689 career games with the Mariners. Robert pitched in 15 games with the Phillies last season.
• Bucks County native Lou Trivino, a 33-year-old righty reliever who spent a part of 2025 with the Phillies, re-signed with the club on a minor-league deal, according to Ken Rosenthal. Trivino pitched in 10 games for the Phils last year, compiling 2.00 ERA and 1.22 WHIP.
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