Philadelphia Phillies ace Zack Wheeler (shoulder) will undergo thoracic outlet decompression surgery on Sept. 23, according to Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic. This was the expected outcome after Wheeler's season came to an end in August. The right-hander is expected to need six to eight months to recover from the procedure, which will jeopardize his chances of being ready for the start of the 2026 campaign. Wheeler had been in the midst of another tremendous season until he had to undergo surgery to remove a blood clot near his right shoulder on Aug. 18. The 35-year-old took the ball 24 times this season and went 10-5 with a 2.71 ERA, a .94 WHIP, and 195:33 K:BB in 149 2/3 innings. Even without Wheeler, the Phillies are among the favorites to win the World Series, but their chances took an obvious hit when they lost him.

Philadelphia Phillies ace Zack Wheeler (shoulder) will undergo season-ending surgery for venous thoracic outlet syndrome, the team announced. Wheeler will need six to eight months to recover, which could put him in jeopardy for the start of 2026. This is a devastating blow to both the Phillies and fantasy managers, as the 35-year-old has once again been among the premier pitchers in baseball this season. Wheeler made 24 starts and went 10-5 with a 2.71 ERA, a .94 WHIP, and 195 strikeouts against 33 walks before the Phillies placed him on the 15-day injured list on Aug. 16 with a blood clot in his upper right arm. Wheeler has since undergone surgery to remove the blood clot. With Wheeler unable to pitch again this year, the NL East-leading Phillies will go forward with a rotation consisting of Cristopher Sanchez, Jesus Luzardo, Ranger Suarez, Taijuan Walker, and Aaron Nola. They could also promote top prospect ... [More]

Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler (shoulder) underwent a successful thrombolysis procedure performed by Dr. Paul DiMuzio on Monday to remove a blood clot in his right upper extremity, according to the team. Further treatment and a timeline for Wheeler's recovery will be determined at at future date. Fantay managers must stash the 35-year-old All-Star for now, but there's a chance the Phillies might not get him back at all this season, depending on how his recovery goes. It would be a massive hit to one of the best teams in baseball down the stretch. With Wheeler on the shelf, veteran right-hander Taijuan Walker should remain in the team's rotation. Wheeler currently leads baseball with 195 strikeouts and has also gone 10-5 with a 2.71 ERA (2.98 FIP) a 0.93 WHIP and 33 walks in 149 2/3 innings (24 starts).

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler (shoulder) was placed on the 15-day injured list on Saturday. Wheeler is going to miss an unknown period of time due to blood clots near his right shoulder. This could explain why Wheeler has been struggling on the mound lately. The Phillies will take the cautious approach and shut down Wheeler for the time being. They haven't offered any timetable on Wheeler, but that probably won't be known until they see how he responds to treatment. The loss of Wheeler means the Phillies probably won't be going with a six-man rotation anymore. Wheeler has been excellent this season with a 2.71 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and a league-leading 195 strikeouts in 24 starts this season. Fantasy managers will need to stay tuned for more updates on his status.UPDATE: Wheeler will head back to Philadelphia for further testing on Sunday, according to manager Rob Thomson.

The Philadelphia Phillies are pushing right-hander Zack Wheeler (shoulder) back two days to Sunday against the Texas Rangers after he complained of shoulder stiffness, according to Matt Gelb of The Athletic. Manager Rob Thompson said an MRI exam on Wheeler's right shoulder came back clean, and he was able to play catch on Wednesday before the series finale against the Baltimore Orioles. Wheeler has an ERA under 3.00 on the year, but he's allowed at least three earned runs or more in three of his last four outings. The Phillies aren't too concerned about the 35-year-old right now, and fantasy managers shouldn't be, either. Wheeler will be a bit more risky in fantasy this weekend, but he should still be deployed in all starting lineups against a Rangers offense that ranks 27th in baseball with a .678 OPS.

Philadelphia Phillies standout starters Zack Wheeler and Cristopher Sanchez will make their second-half debuts in a home series against the Boston Red Sox during the upcoming week. Wheeler will start Monday, Sanchez will toe the rubber Tuesday, and left-hander Jesus Luzardo will get the ball Wednesday. Wheeler was spectacular in the first half en route to his third All-Star nod, going 9-3 with a 2.36 ERA, a 0.86 WHIP, and 154:26 K:BB in 122 innings. Sanchez was a controversial All-Star snub after the southpaw went 8-2 with a 2.50 ERA, a 1.14 WHIP, and 122 strikeouts against 32 walks over 115 frames.

Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler pitched one of the best games of his decorated career in a 3-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday. The 35-year-old logged his fifth complete game and his first since 2021, tossing nine innings of one-run, one-hit ball with 12 strikeouts. Aside from an Austin Hays home run in the top of the fifth inning, Wheeler was flawless. Now boasting a 9-3 record, the three-time All-Star has piled up double-digit strikeouts in back-to-back outings, continuing an extraordinary stretch over the past month. In six starts since June 9, Wheeler has thrown 40 innings and yielded three earned runs on 21 hits with 54 strikeouts against seven walks. That superhuman run of pitching has dropped Wheeler's ERA to 2.17 across 116 innings. He has also registered an elite K:BB (148:25) and the majors' fifth-best WHIP (0.84). Wheeler will try to end his remarkable first half on a high note with a road start against the San Diego Padres on Saturday. He punched out 10 Padres in eight shutout innings on June 30.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler was masterful on Monday, striking out 10 over eight scoreless innings in a 4-0 victory over the Padres. He picked up his eighth win of the season, allowing six hits and no walks. This was the 35-year-old's third double-digit strikeout performance of the season, and his fourth-straight start of at least eight punchouts. During that span, he's allowed just one earned run over 25 innings. The veteran remains one of the best pitchers in all of baseball and will carry a 2.36 ERA with 136 strikeouts and 25 walks into his next outing, which is currently set to be against the Reds.

Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler picked up a quality start in an 11-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday. Wheeler allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits over six innings of work while striking out nine to improve his record to 7-2 on the season. The veteran ace is putting together another strong season, posting a 2.76 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, and 110 strikeouts over 88 innings of work spanning 14 starts. Wheeler will look to keep it going in his next start, which will be against the New York Mets on Friday.

Philadelphia Phillies right-handed pitcher Zack Wheeler (paternity) is set to return from the paternity list on Monday to face the Chicago Cubs. The ace of the Philadelphia rotation has been sidelined over the past week due to the birth of his child. However, Wheeler is in line to make a quick return to the rotation. Before missing time, Wheeler logged 76 innings to the tune of a 2.96 ERA with a stellar 0.92 WHIP. Across this stretch, Wheeler has tallied 94 punchouts and allowed walks at an impressive 6.1% rate. Under the hood, the right-hander sits in the 96th percentile in xERA and 94th percentile in xBA. He has also allowed hard contact at a strong 32.4% rate. Fantasy managers should continue to view Wheeler as a high-end SP1 in all formats going forward.

The Athletic's Matt Gelb reports that the Philadelphia Phillies expect right-hander Zack Wheeler (personal) to come off the paternity list and rejoin their starting rotation early next week in a home series against the Chicago Cubs. Wheeler was placed on the paternity list on Wednesday after missing his normally scheduled start in Toronto against the Blue Jays. The 35-year-old veteran will also miss the upcoming series in Pittsburgh against the last-place Pirates. Wheeler's next scheduled matchup against the Cubs is as tough as they come, but he's once again a must-start in fantasy in 2025. As a result of pushing Wheeler back even further than this weekend, the Phillies will roll with a bullpen game against the Bucs on Friday. Wheeler has been great for fantasy managers again this year, going 6-2 with a 2.96 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 94 K's in 76 frames.

The Philadelphia Phillies announced on Wednesday that they placed right-hander Zack Wheeler on the paternity list and recalled right-handed pitching prospect Mick Abel from Triple-A Lehigh Valley in a corresponding move. With Wheeler away from the team for a few days, Abel will come up from the minors to make a spot start in Toronto against the Blue Jays. We knew that Wheeler wouldn't be available for the series in Canada, but he should return to the team for a very favorable matchup this weekend in Pittsburgh against the last-place Pirates. Fantasy managers will definitely want to keep Wheeler back into their starting lineups for that one. The Pirates offense is fourth-worst in baseball with a .641 OPS, while Wheeler remains a fantasy ace with an ERA under 3.00 and 94 K's in 76 innings over his 12 starts.

The Philadelphia Phillies are adjusting their starting rotation this week as they enter a new series in Toronto against the Blue Jays on Tuesday, according to The Athletic's Matt Gelb, and they will skip right-hander Zack Wheeler (personal) with his wife due to give birth any day now. As a result, the Phils will go with left-hander Cristopher Sanchez on Tuesday, right-handed pitching prospect Mick Abel on Wednesday and left-hander Jesus Luzardo in the series finale on Thursday. It's unclear when the 35-year-old Wheeler will make his 13th start of the season, but it should come at some point this weekend in an excellent matchup against the last-place Pittsburgh Pirates. Wheeler continues to be a must-start in fantasy every time he toes the rubber. The former first-rounder has gone 6-2 with a 2.96 ERA and 0.92 WHIP with 94 strikeouts in 76 innings pitched.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler had his worst start of the season in Thursday's 9-3 loss to the Braves in Game 2 of a doubleheader. He allowed six runs on four hits and four walks with six strikeouts over 5 innings. This is the second time this season that he has allowed at least five runs in a start, and also the second time he has walked at least three batters. Coincidentally, the first instance for both of those feats was also against the Braves on April 8. Something about the matchup does not play in Wheeler's favor, but he remains one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball. He'll carry a 2.96 ERA into his next start, which is lined up to be on the road in Toronto.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler tossed 6 2/3 scoreless innings on Friday, allowing just three hits and two walks while striking out eight in a 4-3 victory over the Athletics, picking up his sixth win in the process. It now makes three straight starts where the righty hasn't even allowed one run to cross the plate, a stretch of 19 2/3 innings. The performance lowered his ERA and WHIP to 2.42 and 0.88, respectively, while the veteran owns an elite 27.5 percent K-BB% on the year. The 2x All-Star will look to keep the streak rolling against the Braves at home next week, a team that's middle of the pack in strikeouts per game (8.38) but hits RHP well at a .254 AVG, good for sixth-best, and also just got Ronald Acuna Jr. back.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler was dominant on Saturday, blanking the Pittsburgh Pirates over six innings in his team's 5-2 home win. He allowed three hits, struck out six, and issued one free pass to earn his sixth straight quality start -- improving to 5-1 through ten appearances. All three of the hits Wheeler yielded were singles, as he continues to shut down lineups. The 34-year-old hasn't let up more than two earned runs in over a month (Apr. 13). After the scoreless outing, he's down to a sterling 2.67 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, and 80:12 K:BB ratio across 64 innings. He'll carry the impressive line into his next trip to the mound, which should come next week on the road against the Colorado Rockies or Athletics.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler shut down the Cleveland Guardians on Sunday, tossing seven shutout innings in a 3-0 victory. Wheeler only allowed three hits and two walks while striking out eight. It was the 34-year-old's fifth straight quality start, as he has once again been a consistent ace on the bump. He has a 4-1 record to go with a 2.95 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and 74 strikeouts over 58 IP. Those numbers are some of the best in the game, and even in his mid-30's he is proving to be a stud in fantasy. His next start is scheduled for Saturday in a tasty matchup at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler was strong in Tuesday's start against the Washington Nationals, going 6 innings of two-run ball while taking a no-decision. Wheeler allowed five hits and a walk while striking out seven in this one. He was in line for the win when he exited the game, but a four-run ninth from the Nats erased that, even though the Phillies did end up winning 7-6. After a few shaky starts in mid-April, Wheeler has returned to his usual self in his last three starts. He now has a (2-1) record with a 3.48 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and 57 strikeouts in 44 IP on the season. Wheeler's next start is scheduled for Tuesday on the road against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler was tasked with taking the ball against his former team on Wednesday. Wheeler didn't make many mistakes outside of giving up a two-run home run to Brett Baty in the second inning. The right-hander tossed six innings, allowing five hits, two runs, and striking out nine batters along the way. Sadly for Wheeler, the Phillies offense didn't do much as they ended up dropping this game to the New York Mets. Wheeler will take a 3.62 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and his league-leading 50 strikeouts into his next start against the Washington Nationals.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler was excellent on the mound during Friday's game against the Miami Marlins. Wheeler gave up a two-run home run to Eric Wagaman, but was basically untouchable outside of that. He tossed seven innings, allowing five hits, two earned runs, and recording 13 strikeouts in the win. Wheeler hasn't been like himself lately, but hopefully this outing will help him get back on track. He'll take a 3.73 ERA with 41 strikeouts into his next start against the New York Mets. Fantasy managers have been given a few bad starts from Wheeler, but he remains a must-start in fantasy formats.