Phillies’ Zack Wheeler to make season debut Saturday vs. the Braves
In his first start since Aug. 15 following a blood clot that led to surgery, Wheeler is expected to pitch around six innings and/or 90 pitches.
CHICAGO — Zack Wheeler is back.
He will officially return to the Phillies rotation on Saturday to start against the Braves in Atlanta, manager Rob Thomson announced. Wheeler will follow Andrew Painter, who will start the series opener on Friday, and is expected to pitch around six innings and/or 90 pitches.
Thomson said he’s “not sure yet” what his plans for the rotation will be going forward, though the likeliest option seems to be right-hander Taijuan Walker moving to the bullpen. The Phillies plan to use an opener ahead of Walker on Wednesday against the Cubs as they continue to search for a solution to his struggles.
» READ MORE: Zack Wheeler’s not concerned about decreased velocity in final tuneup before rejoining Phillies
Walker has a 9.16 ERA across four starts this season. He has particularly struggled early in his outings, with a 24.75 ERA in the first inning. Walker also has experience pitching out of the Phillies bullpen in 2025.
Saturday will mark Wheeler’s first major league start since Aug. 15. A blood clot was identified in his upper arm following his outing, and he underwent thoracic outlet decompression surgery to relieve a compressed vein in September.
Wheeler made five rehab starts that functioned as his version of spring training, three with triple-A Lehigh Valley and two with double-A Reading. He put up a 5.85 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, and struck out 23 in 20 innings. The biggest question surrounding Wheeler is his fastball velocity, which has been inconsistent. It was around 92 mph in his latest start on Sunday in chilly conditions, but in his previous outing on Tuesday, he touched 95 mph.
Last season, his fastball averaged 95.9 mph.
“I think he’s basically at the end of spring training,” Thomson said. “It’s been tough to tell some of it because of the weather, but for the most part, the fastball velocity has gone up. It’s not where it’s going to be, I don’t believe. The command has been some days good, some days not as good, but I’m expecting on a normal day, weather-wise, that he’s going to have his command. And he’s really spun the ball well during all of his outings.”
Wheeler returns to a rotation that has been scuffling. The Phillies’ starting pitchers collectively have a 5.48 ERA, which ranks 27th out of 30 teams. To be fair, that number has been skewed by Walker and Jesús Luzardo, who has an ERA of 7.94 through his first four starts. Bad luck has played a role in the lefty’s struggles, as well, as Luzardo’s expected ERA based on quality of contact is 3.59.
» READ MORE: What is Zack Wheeler facing in his return from surgery? We asked two pitchers who have done it.
Still, Thomson hopes the return of Wheeler might spark something for a team that entered Tuesday with MLB’s worst run differential at -42.
“I think it makes us better,” he said. “Having Zack Wheeler on your 26-man roster makes you a better roster no matter what. When he’s healthy and pitching well, he’s one of the best — if not the best — pitcher in National League.”
Reyes in cleanup
Rookie left fielder Felix Reyes got the next turn in the Phillies’ cleanup spot on Tuesday against Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga. It marked the second major league start for Reyes, who was called up because of his power from the right-hand side. He homered off Braves lefty Chris Sale in his first-ever plate appearance on Saturday.
“Just trying to shake it up a little bit,” Thomson said. “The kid’s mature beyond his years. He doesn’t seem to scare of anything. So maybe gives us a little jolt.”
Justin Crawford drove in the Phillies’ only run in Monday’s series opener in Chicago, but he was back on the bench Tuesday, with Brandon Marsh getting the opportunity against Imanaga instead. With the Phillies scheduled to face two lefties in a row with Matthew Boyd following Imanaga on Wednesday, Thomson said he wanted to split them up.
“Marsh has seen Imanaga,” Thomson said. “Boyd historically has been a little bit tougher on left-handed hitters and Crawford historically — I know it’s minor league stuff — has been a little bit better against left-hand pitching.”
» READ MORE: In his return to Chicago, Phillies reliever Brad Keller recalls the ‘cool moments’ he had with the Cubs
Extra bases
Jhoan Duran (oblique) and Zach Pop (calf) played catch Tuesday in Philadelphia. Jonathan Bowlan (groin) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Wednesday in Lehigh Valley. … Catcher J.T. Realmuto was back in the Phillies’ lineup Tuesday after missing two games with lower back tightness. … The Phillies have not yet announced an opener for Walker, who is expected to pitch the bulk of Wednesday’s game against the lefty Boyd. The Cubs pitcher will be making his first start since he was placed on the injured list on April 3 with a left biceps strain.
In Trea Turner and Justin Crawford, the Phillies have two of baseball's fastest players at the top and bottom of their batting order. It's a baserunning coach's dream. Paco Figueroa sat down with "Phillies Extra" to discuss his philosophy on baserunning and how the Phillies might be able to leverage the elite speed of Turner and Crawford to boost an offense that has struggled to score runs early in the season. Watch here.
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