Fans of the Philadelphia Phillies need not fear. Zack Wheeler, a star starter, should soon be back in the starting lineup.
“Okay, so Zack Wheeler will make one more rehab start Sunday for Reading in Bridgewater, N.J., weather-permitting,” Scott Lauber wrote on April 17. Taijuan Walker’s position will open up again on Wednesday in Chicago because he is scheduled to return to the #Phillies rotation in Atlanta the following weekend.
Taijuan Walker’s exclusion from the rotation may be just as significant as Zack Wheeler’s comeback.In order to remove a blood clot from his right shoulder, Wheeler is recovering from Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. In September, he suffered an injury. 2025 and had to miss the 2025 playoff, which was a huge blow to the Phils at that time.
Next week, Zack Wheeler should be back in the Phillies rotation.
Zack Wheeler should be back in the rotation next week, which is fantastic news for the Phillies, barring any unanticipated changes or developments.
“Given that Wheeler has continued to pitch like an ace into his mid-30s, the Phillies were never going to risk bringing him back too early,” AJ Eustance wrote on April 18. However, overall, his recuperation was going well, and last month, manager Rob Thomson stated that the team anticipated his return not “too far beyond” Opening Day. The 35-year-old appears to have demonstrated enough throughout his rehabilitation period to return to the major league rotation by the end of April.
Unsurprisingly, Wheeler had an excellent 2025 campaign until the TOS diagnosis. With 195 strikeouts in 149.2 innings and 24 starts, he recorded a 2.71 ERA. Wheeler pitched 200 innings with 224 strikeouts and a 2.57 ERA in 2024. When on the mound, he is simply among the finest in the game.
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The Phillies are currently 8-12 after losing the first two games of this weekend’s series against the Atlanta Braves at home. They would definitely benefit from Wheeler’s dependability in the rotation.
Jesus Luzardo and Christopher Sanchez have performed admirably, but the pitchers that come after them—including Taijuan Walker, who has given up a ton of runs in his first few starts—have been a major problem.
Walker has given up 19 earned runs in 18.2 innings with an ERA above 9.00. Walker has allowed six home runs in those innings.
When Zack Wheeler returns, Walker will most likely lose his rotation job. However, it will be interesting to see how Rob Thomson and the Phillies employ Taijaun Walker since he probably won’t be able to use him in any kind of leverage situation. He has a $72 million, four-year contract that hasn’t really worked out.
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