January 20, 2026
Content sponsored by
Eric Hartline/Imagn Images
Zack Wheeler is throwing again.
Zack Wheeler is throwing a baseball again.
He isn't stepping forward from a mound just yet, Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Tuesday, but the veteran righthander is tossing from 90 feet on flat ground and gradually ramping up his workload after a detected blood clot near his shoulder and a following surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome suddenly ended his 2025 season.
"He's doing very well," Thomson told the media during a Zoom call. "Last week was a very heavy workload for him. I believe he's going to come in again on Thursday and throw again, but yeah, no timetable. But so far, the reports have been good."
Wheeler was 10-5 with a 2.71 ERA, and was the Phillies' top of the rotation ace, last season before the discovery of his blood clot and the immediately scheduled removal of it sidelined him indefinitely in August. The later announcement by the Phillies that the 35-year-old would need another surgery to address an additional diagnosis of venous thoracic outlet syndrome shut down his 2025 for good.
The timetable given for Wheeler's recovery was 6-8 months, and in the time since, lefty Cristopher Sánchez has stepped up as the Phillies' new No. 1, with fellow lefty Jesús Luzardo projected as the No. 2 starter now that Ranger Suárez has left for Boston, while Wheeler lingers as an unknown, along with veteran righty Aaron Nola following a tough 2025 himself.
MORE: Dave Dombrowski 'content with where we are' for Phils' offseason
Wheeler was struggling with a dip in velocity before the diagnosis of his blood clot, and even though he's working his way back, there are no guarantees that he'll return in his former Cy Young-level form, especially as he enters his late 30s.
SIGN UP HERE to receive the PhillyVoice Sports newsletter
Follow Nick on Twitter: @itssnick
Follow Nick on Bluesky: @itssnick
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports
