Philadelphia Phillies All-Star pitcher Zack Wheeler is storing one of his ribs in a closet at his house after it was removed during offseason surgery.
No, really.
Wheeler underwent venous thoracic outlet decompression surgery, which requires removing the first rib and surrounding structures to relieve pressure on blood vessels and nerves inflamed by previous scar tissue, according to Temple Health.
Wheeler revealed he kept his removed rib and has it at home – but only after Phillies head athletic trainer Paul Buchheit cleaned it up a bit.
“Paul preserved it for me,” Wheeler told reporters on Wednesday at Phillies Spring Training in Dunedin, Florida. “He had to do a bunch of stuff to it so it doesn’t decay. I just have it sitting at the house. It’s in my closet. It’s just in a little case.
“They give it to you after the surgery. The doctor walked in (and) he was like, ‘usually I give these to people later, but I wanted to give it to you personally.’ He gave it to me in a bag. It was pretty gross,” he added.
Wheeler, 35, is a three-time MLB All-Star, including the past two seasons with the Phillies in 2024 and 2025. His 2025 season was cut short in August, however, due to being diagnosed with venous thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS). He underwent surgery to remove a blood clot in September.
On Wednesday, Wheeler said he had experienced no setbacks in his recovery for the 2026 season.
“It is encouraging, the progress so far,” he said. “I’m sure there are speed bumps that you’re going to hit along the way, this with any surgery or recovery. So, you just take day by day things as they come and go … so far, so good.
“The first week after (surgery) was really tough, soreness-wise. It’s just gotten better as I’ve worked with Paul this whole offseason, getting the range of motion and getting the strength back slowly but surely. Now I feel pretty much normal,” he added.
In 11 seasons with the Phillies and the New York Mets, Wheeler has a 113-75 record, 3.28 ERA and 1,820 strikeouts in 1,728.1 innings pitched in 283 games.