{"id":623993,"date":"2026-03-14T20:37:23","date_gmt":"2026-03-14T20:37:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/623993\/"},"modified":"2026-03-14T20:37:23","modified_gmt":"2026-03-14T20:37:23","slug":"phillies-zack-wheeler-comments-on-injury-status-as-opening-day-draws-near","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/623993\/","title":{"rendered":"Phillies\u2019 Zack Wheeler comments on injury status as Opening Day draws near"},"content":{"rendered":"

Phillies\u2019 Zack Wheeler comments on injury status as Opening Day draws near<\/a> appeared first on ClutchPoints<\/a>. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As Zack Wheeler<\/a> continues to clear barriers in his return from thoracic outlet decompression surgery, fans cannot help but get excited. Although it has already been confirmed that the stellar right-handed starting pitcher will not be available for Opening Day, optimism is growing now that he has thrown in a live batting practice<\/a> for the first time this year. True to form, Wheeler is staying on an even keel<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI think I\u2019m probably just on track,\u201d the two-time National League Cy Young runner-up told reporters on Saturday, per OnPattison\u2019s Anthony SanFilippo. \u201cYou guys know me by now. I really don\u2019t try to get too excited about certain things. Like I said before, just kind of take it day by day. We\u2019ll look forward to the next one and try to crisp it up a little bit more, try to get the {velocity} up just a tick more\u2026 That\u2019s usually how it goes during spring.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wheeler\u2019s comments suggest he is moving through his process just like he would in any spring training session, but this buildup period will naturally evoke more curiosity than others. Wheeler underwent surgery last September to treat a condition that was causing blood clots in his throwing shoulder and was therefore unable to take the mound in the final stretch of the 2025 MLB campaign.<\/p>\n

Although his presence in the starting rotation is extremely valuable, especially following Ranger Suarez\u2019s free agency departure, the Phillies are wisely easing the three-time All-Star back into the fold. Wheeler\u2019s situation requires patience and caution. He is gradually approaching in-game shape<\/a>, which is all the City of Brotherly Love can ask for at this time.<\/p>\n

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If Zack Wheeler can pick up where he left off, which was a 2.71 ERA and 0.935 WHIP in 24 starts, then Philly should once again be partaking in the October festivities in 2026. The 35-year-old will try to maintain his level-headed mindset as he draws closer to a much-anticipated return.<\/p>\n

Related: Kyle Schwarber gets 100% real on Team USA\u2019s WBC journey<\/a><\/p>\n

Related: Phillies announce 2 roster moves before Yankees game<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Phillies\u2019 Zack Wheeler comments on injury status as Opening Day draws near appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":623994,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[80376,5,6259,80375,4,40,90,117],"class_list":["post-623993","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-anthony-sanfilippo","tag-baseball","tag-cy-young","tag-decompression-surgery","tag-mlb","tag-phillies","tag-ranger-suarez","tag-zack-wheeler"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116229456221114089","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/623993","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=623993"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/623993\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/623994"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=623993"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=623993"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=623993"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}