Zack Wheeler has been everything the Philadelphia Phillies could've hoped for, and more, since returning from his injury.
The Philadelphia Phillies and all of Major League Baseball know the type of pitcher Zack Wheeler can be when he’s healthy and firing on all cylinders. However, the question for Wheeler, coming off major shoulder surgery that ended his 2025 season early, was how he would look.
Before having his season cut short last August, Wheeler was on track to be a Cy Young finalist, and he’s largely picking up right where he left off after making his season debut on April 25th.
Wheeler has made five starts since coming off the injured list. Over that stretch, he’s logged a 1.99 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP in 31.2 innings pitched.
One of the factors that has made Wheeler so dominant and effective as a pitcher in the past has been his command of the zone and his ability to generate swing-and-miss. So far this season, Wheeler has a chase-rate of 36.1 percent (91st percentile), a whiff-rate of 25.8 percent, and a strikeout rate of 23.2 percent.
The 35-year-old’s pitching run value (+6) and fastball run value (+5) are also in a similar percentile rank as a year ago, compared to the rest of MLB.
May 12, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) throws a pitch against the Boston Red Sox in the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn ImagesIf there is one yellow flag in Wheeler’s game since the injury, it’s been his fastball velocity. In 2025, he was reaching 96 mph on the pitch consistently, but this year, Wheeler’s average fastball velocity is just 94.5 mph.
Manager Don Mattingly isn’t zoned in on where the heater is currently, but where it’s headed.
“I think everything's been trending in the right direction,” said Philly’s skipper after Wheeler’s start on Sunday.
“Everything we talk about, medical, where he's at, where he's going to, his numbers early, were similar to years before, where he was at, at that part of the season. So he's still climbing and building.”
As Mattingly noted, he continues to see improvement in Wheeler. That growth isn’t just with his fastball, though, but with his overall
Wheeler has now turned in back-to-back starts where he’s thrown 7.0 or more innings, giving up one or fewer earned runs. In the starter’s outing against the Pirates, Wheeler also struck out eight hitters.
The Phillies have done a tremendous job at getting back on track and above .500 after a miserable start to the season, and Wheeler has certainly been a big piece of that.
It’s definitely nice to see Wheeler picking up where he left off a year ago, but it’s also fair to acknowledge that he still has some work to do.
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.
