Zack Wheeler will miss the remainder of the season after being diagnosed with venous thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS), the Philadelphia Phillies announced on Saturday. The right-handed pitcher is scheduled to undergo thoracic outlet decompression surgery in the coming weeks, with an expected recovery timeline of six to eight months.
“He’ll miss this season, but then we figure that he’ll come back in the 6-8 month time period and be the Zack Wheeler of old,” said Dave Dombrowski, president of baseball operations for the Phillies. “That’s what we’ve been told. Unless something unanticipated happens, he’ll be able to come back and pitch like he has before this.”
Wheeler’s condition involves a form of TOS that developed suddenly, which is considered more favorable than neurogenic TOS for long-term recovery prospects. Comparisons were drawn to Rangers pitcher Merrill Kelly, who underwent a similar procedure in 2020 and returned by Spring Training to make 27 starts in 2021. Neurogenic TOS has ended other pitchers’ careers early, such as Stephen Strasburg.
“So the recovery can be a little bit different,” explained head athletic trainer Paul Buchheit. “And the fact that with [Wheeler] … it was more of an acute issue — that’s in his favor that he wasn’t dealing with it for a long time prior to going under for the procedure.”
Wheeler was placed on the injured list on August 16 after developing a blood clot in his right upper extremity and subsequently underwent a thrombolysis procedure to remove it.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson expressed relief that Wheeler’s health issue had been identified and could be treated surgically. “He’s healthy,” Thomson said when asked about his reaction to Wheeler’s diagnosis. “It’s disappointing to lose him, but we have a lot of depth there. I love our club. So the six-to-eight month recovery was encouraging to me.”
The loss affects both Wheeler personally and the team as they approach postseason play. Since joining Philadelphia in 2020, Wheeler leads all pitchers in strikeouts (1,094), WHIP (1.02), and innings pitched (979). He ranks third among qualified starters with a 2.91 ERA during that span.
Wheeler’s performance has also stood out in postseason play; his career postseason ERA is 2.18—third best all-time among pitchers with at least ten playoff starts.
“Yeah, it’s a big loss. It’s a guy whose postseason career alone is Cy Young-worthy,” said designated hitter Kyle Schwarber. “We know it’s not going to be easy, but as we inch closer and closer to the postseason, we don’t need anyone trying to go out there and be Superman.
“If our guys can just be themselves, we’re going to take that. We believe in our guys.”
With Wheeler sidelined, Cristopher Sánchez will become Game 1 starter for potential playoff series while Ranger Suárez and Jesús Luzardo are likely candidates for subsequent games—all left-handers by trade.
Aaron Nola may play an important role as well if he returns fully from injury; he recently made his second start following three months away due to ankle and rib injuries.
“Very important. No doubt,” Thomson said about Nola’s significance moving forward into possible postseason action: “And I expect good things out of Nola. I really do. He’s done it for a long time. He’s experienced. He’s gone through ruts and come out of it in the past. He’s going to be fine.”
Although Wheeler turns 36 next May and does not plan on pitching beyond his current contract—which runs through 2027—he still hopes to win both a Cy Young Award and World Series title before retiring.
“This isn’t a lifelong gig,” Schwarber added regarding player health concerns beyond baseball: “It’s a short amount of time in your whole entire life that you get to play this game…so we want him to be fully healthy for whenever baseball does come to an end so he can enjoy the rest of his life with his family and kids.”
