Zack Wheeler Reflects After First Start for Phillies Post Injury

Finally, after major shoulder surgery and a lengthy recovery, Zack Wheeler returned to the mound for the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday night against the Atlanta Braves. 

There were plenty of questions and unknowns about what the 35-year-old would look like, but it was overall a fairly successful outing. Wheeler ended up throwing 5.0 innings, gave up three hits, allowed two earned runs, issued three walks, and struck out six batters. 

Stat line aside, Wheeler said after the game that he’s just happy to get his season debut over with and can look ahead to the rest of the season. 

“Obviously, you think about this moment. Me, I just want to get it over with and just keep moving on,” said Wheeler after the game. “Just the anxiety of it, part. I'm glad it's done, especially when you come out of the game, get that weight off your shoulders.”

It makes sense that Wheeler just wants to get this start out of the way. 

The veteran has been pitching in the big leagues for nearly a decade now. He knows what to expect and how he should feel on the mound, and not knowing how his body will respond after the injury is likely pretty anxiety-inducing.

Perhaps the biggest unknown coming into Wheeler’s start was what his velocity would look like; it didn’t look great in some of the veteran’s rehab outings, but he calmed all of those concerns from the very first pitch of the night. Wheeler’s heater topped out at 96.5 mph and had an average velocity of 94.7 mph.

“That's why you kind of take rehab games with a grain of salt,” said Wheeler on his velocity. “Once you get up here, it's a different game. Adrenaline's going.”

Looking at the bigger picture, focusing on the Phillies more than Wheeler himself, the veteran was put in a tough spot for his first start of 2026. Philadelphia had lost 10 straight games and was trying to prevent its longest stretch without a win in over two decades.

It was up to Wheeler to set the tone early on. Not only did Philly’s ace accomplish that, but he also welcomes the challenge.

“Lost 10 games in a row, I’m the next guy up, obviously, I want to stop it,” Wheeler continued. “That's always kind of been my thing over the years, is if we are in a little slump, I want to be in the stopper. Even if it's two games in a row, I want to be that guy. 
I love being in that situation and take pride in it.”

The Phillies getting Wheeler back won’t single-handedly turn their season around, but the level of confidence and intensity that the veteran brings back to the locker room could go a long way. 

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