Philadelphia Phillies' Zack Wheeler discusses his progress back from shoulder surgery.
The shoulder surgery that Zack Wheeler underwent at the end of last year isn’t typical for a player to have during their career, but it’s not unheard of either.
There were other players who reached out to the Philadelphia Phillies ace about the procedure, and while he’s appreciative of that, “I didn't want to talk to them, because I didn't want to expect certain speed bumps at certain places, like maybe they had,” said Wheeler.
So far, Wheeler hasn’t experienced any massive bumps in his road back to the mound. Right now, it’s all about “checking off those boxes as we continue the rehab process and just looking to get back on a game mound.”
That process of getting back on the mound means that Wheeler’s spring training has looked a little different from the past year so far. Once March turns, pitchers have typically already appeared in a Spring Training game or two, but Wheeler’s work during spring training has looked different than past years.
May 1, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) throws against the Los Angeles Angels during the fourth inning at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images“This year's a little different plan for me. I'm playing more catch, long toss, and all that, and definitely doing a lot more like in the training room and stuff, just trying to recover, I guess you could say. Everything's going well, though. I really can't complain, and nothing's been super, super hard. So I'm happy for that.”
The latest box that Wheeler checked off in his recovery late last week was throwing his first live bullpen session of the year. The Phillies pitcher admitted he wasn’t sure how he’d feel during that workout, but ultimately felt good and comfortable on the mound.
With Wheeler focused on checking off boxes, what is the next task on his to-do list?
From here, Thomson said that Wheeler will start a ramp-up program over the next six weeks, which could put him at a return-to-action date sometime at the end of April.
Wheeler has checked off every box so far, and if he continues to do so, it might not be long until the ace is back on the mound and helping the Phillies win another division title and hopefully deep into the playoffs, too.
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