Zack Wheeler placed on 15-day injured list with “upper extremity blood clot” near shoulder

Things went from bad to worse for the Phillies on Saturday afternoon.

They fell to the Nationals, 2-0, losing their fourth game over their last six. The offense was flat once again, and inadequate trends continued.

Will it get any worse?

Yes, it has.

Dave Dombrowski revealed to the media in Washington, D.C., postgame that Zack Wheeler is being placed on the 15-day injured list with an “upper extremity blood clot” near his shoulder. He will undergo further testing once the team gets back to Philadelphia this week, and there is currently no timeline.

“There’s not a lot that we can say on it at this time,” Dombrowski said Saturday postgame, praising doctors for discovering the clot. “It could have been a much more trying situation than it is.”

It has been apparent over the last month that something has been off with the Cy Young candidate. Wheeler’s velocity had dropped to the mid-90s; he was not throwing as many innings and was allowing many more baserunners.

Since his complete game one-hitter against the Reds on July 6, Wheeler’s six starts since have contained 33.2 innings and 17 earned runs, along with 34 hits, eight home runs, five hit batsmen, and 47 strikeouts. Over those six starts, he had a 4.54 ERA and 1.25 WHIP while going 1-2.

This season, the 35-year-old has thrown 149.2 innings with an ERA of 2.71 and a 0.94 WHIP, along with 195 strikeouts, the most in baseball.

Wheeler pitched Friday in Washington and was limited to five innings for the second consecutive start, allowing two runs on four hits.

Blood clots, obviously, are no joke. Upper extremity blood clots often occur due to venous thoracic outlet syndrome, which can be associated with repetitive arm movements or strenuous activity. Wheeler has been throwing upper-90s for 979 innings, the most in baseball since 2020. Certainly a strenuous repetitive arm movement.

How soon Wheeler can throw again presumably depends on how the blood clots respond to treatment. 

The Phillies’ starting rotation is notorious this season for being the best in baseball. Wheeler and Cristopher Sanchez are both Cy Young candidates, Ranger Suarez got off to an extremely hot start, although he has posted a 5.58 ERA over his last seven starts, Jesus Luzardo has found his groove again in which he had early in the year, and Taijuan Walker has been excellent as of late with a 2.89 ERA over his past seven. All of this without Aaron Nola, who has been on the IL since May, and will make his return Sunday morning in Washington after a strong rehab with Lehigh Valley.

Losing Wheeler is obviously damaging for the Phillies and for his Cy Young chances. In his five seasons with the Phillies, he has finished top-12 in Cy Young voting four times, finishing second in 2021 and 2024. His competitor this year, Paul Skenes, has been outstanding, but it felt like this was the year for Wheeler.

Depending on how long his IL stint lasts, his case could be extinguished. Hopefully, the fire of the Phillies’ rotation does not extinguish, either.

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