Zack Wheeler’s Return has Been Improbable but not Impossible: ‘Watching Wheeler is a Good Feeling’

Few injuries in Major League Baseball have a reputation for being career death sentences like venous thoracic outlet syndrome, which Zack Wheeler was diagnosed with in August 2025, ending what was once a Cy Young-worthy year on the bump. Not long after, Wheeler had a minimally invasive thoracic outlet decompression surgery, where the blood clot in his shoulder was dissolved, and regular blood flow was restored.

Of course, we aren’t here to play dress-up doctor, but what Wheeler dealt with toward the end of 2025 was much larger than baseball. According to the National Institute of Health, roughly 90% of pulmonary embolisms — a condition that caused upward of 100,000 deaths in 2025 — originate from Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), the exact repercussion of Wheeler’s injury.

Fast forward to February 26, and Wheeler, after going through a life-changing procedure and having part of his rib removed, toed the rubber at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Florida, throwing his first bullpen since his surgery on September 23. That day, he threw 21 fastballs. He didn’t yet have a timeline or a date to return to the mound. He was simply getting back his feel for pitching.

With a condition and surgery so rare, Wheeler addressed the uncertainty of his return. No one knew what to expect upon his long-awaited return. Though one bullpen may seem like a small feat, for Wheeler, those 21 pitches told a detailed story, and luckily, Wheeler felt great during and after his workout.

“I’m sure there’s speed bumps along the way you’re going to hit with any surgery or recovery,” Wheeler said on February 26. “You just take it day-by-day… I’m just trying to hit my checkmarks that Paul [Buchheit, the Phillies’ Director of Medical Services and Head Athletic Trainer] and the club came up with.”

On March 28, Wheeler suited up for the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs, starting what became a five-game rehab assignment that consisted of appearances with both the IronPigs and the Double-A Reading Fightin’ Phils. In that first start with Lehigh Valley, Wheeler spun three scoreless innings, striking out three and leading the IronPigs’ pitching staff toward an impressive 1-0 victory in the second game of their 2026 season.

Wheeler ended up pitching in two more games for Lehigh Valley before making the trek to Reading, and in the last of his three games with the IronPigs, he struck out six while only allowing one run in 4.1 innings of work.

After 20 minor-league innings, Wheeler’s return to the bigs was quickly approaching and highly anticipated; with then-Phillies’ starter Taijuan Walker still in the rotation with a 9.13 ERA, the latter was especially the case. Despite posting a 5.85 ERA on his rehab assignment, hopes were still high for Wheeler.

“The fastball velocity’s gone up. It’s not where it’s gonna be, I don’t believe,” then-manager Rob Thomson told members of the media. “The command has been some days good, some days not as good. But I’m expecting on a normal day, weather-wise, that he’s gonna have his command.”

Now, just a mere two months later, Wheeler has done what many people thought would be impossible. Through five starts, Wheeler has regained his tried and true form — like the ace that never left. In 31.2 innings since his return, Wheeler boasts an impressive 3-0 record, 1.99 ERA, and 0.88 WHIP. And as we’ve seen throughout much of his tenure in Philadelphia, Wheeler is atop the league leaderboard in opponent chase rate. Most notably, in Wheeler’s start against the Pirates on Sunday, his fastball velocity was resting about two miles per hour faster than in his previous starts, showing another glimpse of his improving health and compounding confidence. And after walking three batters in his first start of the season, he now has walked only one batter in his last 18.2 innings of work.

After the game, manager Don Mattingly had a message that, while very simple, resonates greatly: “Watching Wheeler is a good feeling.”

Wheeler said in February that he was trying to hit his checkmarks, and his seven shutout innings on Sunday prove that he can check off command and velocity. The 18.1 inches of horizontal movement he averages on a sweeper indicates that he’s got the stuff to continue success at the big-league level, and there’s no denying how impressive this feat is.

“Everything’s been trending in the right direction,” Mattingly said. “His numbers early were similar to the years before, where he was at that part of the season, so he’s still climbing and building.”

For many, thoracic outlet syndrome is a career-ender. As of 2018, six players never threw another pitch after suffering the same injury. Only about five players returned to baseball at the same level of play.

For Wheeler, it seems this was simply a detour.

In fact, former Cy Young Award winner Chris Carpenter had surgery in 2012 and only made two regular-season starts before retiring early. He attempted a comeback in 2013 but never returned to the Major Leagues after being sent on a rehab assignment.

Former division rival Stephen Strasburg found himself in a similar situation, and one could argue that his story is even more demoralizing. After winning the World Series MVP during the Nationals’ historic run in the 2019 postseason, Strasburg signed a seven-year, $245-million contract extension to stay in the capital. In the three years to follow, Strasburg made only eight starts. He was sidelined in 2020 due to carpal tunnel surgery, and he underwent neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome surgery in July 2021. In his procedure, Strasburg lost not only a rib but also two muscles in his neck, severely limiting his ability to pitch at the level expected of him, especially after inking such a hefty contract.

These two aren’t the only pitchers who have experienced struggles after being diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome. Jaime Garcia, Matt Harvey, and Phil Hughes all suffered similar fates.

When Wheeler received his diagnosis in August, everyone knew that returning in April at the same caliber of play was a steep goal, but the odds weren’t zero. They were simply improbable. Now, every fifth day serves as an important reminder of a motto that has silently danced in the Phillies’ shadows ever since their return to Red October in 2022: improbable does not mean impossible.

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