Philadelphia Phillies' Zack Wheeler will pitch in a game for the first time since his injury.
So far, Zack Wheeler’s rehab has seemingly been going smoothly, which is tremendous news for the rotation and team as a whole.
The Philadelphia Phillies pitcher continues to trend in the right direction after his 2025 season was cut short due to surgery to manage thoracic outlet syndrome, which required major surgery.
Wheeler continues to check the boxes of his recovery process, which has included throwing off the mound, bullpen sessions, and facing hitters in live batting practice up to this point.
Now, the veteran pitcher is ready for the next step of his build-up.
Wheeler will make his first appearance in a live game on Monday, as reported by MLB.com’s Todd Zoleck.
He will pitch in a Minor League game at the Carpenter Complex, not a Phillies Spring Training Grapefruit League game. The plan for Wheeler is to throw 40 pitches, likely putting him at around two to three innings.
This news comes shortly after Wheeler threw against live hitters on Wednesday. After this session, Wheeler said, “I felt good. My arm felt good. We’re going in the right direction.”
Mar 4, 2025; Clearwater, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) throws a pitch against the New York Yankees in the second inning during spring training at BayCare Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn ImagesPhillies skipper Rob Thomson echoed his pitcher’s comments, saying, “he looked poised and ready to go. So, I’m happy with it.”
With Opening Day next week, it feels more and more likely that Wheeler will start the season on the injured list as he continues to build back up to full strength. However, from the outside, it certainly looks like his rehab is going as planned, and it may not be long before the veteran is back in the Phillies rotation.
Before Wheeler’s 2025 season ended prematurely due to injury, he was having one of the best years of his career. In 24 starts, Wheeler logged a 2.71 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP. The big question is, can Wheeler return to that same form after the injury?
It’s clear that if the Phillies want to be a World Series contender this year, they need Wheeler to perform at a high level, and even though his recovery process appears to be going as planned, Philadelphia should not be rushing him back onto the field.
It’ll be interesting to see how Wheeler performs and feels after his first game action on Monday, and with that, what the next steps will be in rehab after this outing.
Phillies Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Phillies. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.