Zack Wheeler made his first rehab start since last as he still targets a potential April return to the Philadelphia Phillies.
Zack Wheeler continues to check the boxes in his rehab, which seems to be going as expected. The Philadelphia Phillies ace took another big step in his recovery process on Saturday, as he pitched in his first official rehab game with the Triple-A Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs.
Up to this point, Wheeler has thrown bullpen sessions and simulated games, but this was his first true action in a live game since undergoing surgery last August.
Wheeler threw 38 pitches over 3.0 innings, gave up two hits, walked one batter, and struck out three hitters in his outing. The 34-year-old said he felt good in his first true competitive game in a while, even though it was a little chilly out.
Jun 9, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) checks a runner agianst the Chicago Cubs in the third inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn ImagesWheeler’s fastball reached 94.3 mph, and had an average velocity of about 93 mph. That’s objectively lower than where it’s been throughout Wheeler's career, but it’s still clear progress from where he’s at in his development.
Wheeler said his velo “was a tick up from where it has been. Last inning down just a hair, but it’s probably to be expected.”
One area where Wheeler got additional work in during this rehab start was pitching out of the stretch, which is an area he said he’s “felt terrible in” during the rehab process.
Two hitters reached in the first inning, and one reached in the second inning, so it was good that Wheeler was able to get some work in during this situation.
Looking at the box score, it was definitely an efficient and effective outing. Wheeler knows the stats aren’t end-all, be-all in these rehab outings.
“Coming out of it healthy is really all that mattered to me,” said the pitcher after the game. “At the end of the day, it went well and felt good.”
Looking at what’s next for Wheeler, he likely has a handful more of rehab starts in the future before actually making his way back to the big-league level. He’s scheduled to make another rehab start with the Iron Pigs on Friday and will make another start at Double-A the following week.
It doesn’t appear that he’s experienced any setback, yet, so a potential return to the Phillies rotation sometime at the end of April could still be on the table for the veteran pitcher.
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