Zack Wheeler On Pace To Return Before End Of April
Zack Wheeler is one step closer to returning to the mound at Citizens Bank Park. He has progressed well all off-season. Hit all his marks in the Spring. And now,…
Zack Wheeler is one step closer to returning to the mound at Citizens Bank Park. He has progressed well all off-season. Hit all his marks in the Spring. And now, after a successful simulated game, he is set to pitch in a real game. Wheeler will make a rehab start this Saturday with the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs.
The plan is for Wheeler to pitch 3 innings. From there, how he ramps up will depend on how he feels after that 1st start. If all goes well, he can continue to add innings and could be back with the Phillies before May 1st.
Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia joined Middays With Marks today and laid out a very promising timetable for the return of Wheeler.
"Again, just kind of my gut feel, I think four or five weeks from now, something like that. I could see the end of April being realistic, but you know, we'll see. I'd be surprised if it was beyond the Kentucky Derby, I'll put it that way, but you never know with these things. They keep a timetable close to the vest. They want to build him up the right way, and it all hits another gear today."
The original timeline for Wheeler's return put him back by the end of May. Now he is on track to be a month early. Full recovery for the procedure he underwent is 6-8 months. He had the procedure on September 23rd. We are currently at 6 months.
The Importance Of Zack Wheeler
Wheeler was in the midst of another great season before the blood clot issue came up. He had a 2.71 ERA, and a career low 0.935 WHIP. He also had 195 Ks over 149.2 innings. It likely would have been another top 3 Cy Young finish if he stayed healthy.
One could argue that no pitcher has been better since he first joined the team in 2020. There are only 3 pitchers who have pitched 800 innings and have a sub-3.0 ERA in that time. Only 2 pitchers have at least 10 postseason starts and a sub-3.0 ERA. Wheeler is the only one on both lists.
If the Phillies are going to win a World Series, it will be with Wheeler as their Ace. The combination of him, Sanchez, and Luzardo in the playoffs makes them dangerous vs any team in any series. So this news that Wheeler is one step closer to rejoining the pitching rotation is very good news.
