Wheeler returns tonight for Phillies team in need of a spark
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ATLANTA -- Zack Wheeler is back.
But what will he look like on Saturday night, when he makes his 2026 debut? Wheeler, 35, will make his first start following thoracic outlet decompression surgery in August. His recovery has gone well, but he also isn’t throwing as hard as he has in the past.
Maybe it’ll come back. Maybe it won’t.
“I’m just trying to get outs,” Wheeler told NBC Sports Philadelphia this week in Chicago. “I’m not throwing as hard as I was, so I know it’s going to be a little bit harder for me. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I have all the confidence in the world, but it might be a little different from the start until I get my velo back.
"So, I don’t expect it to go perfect. I don’t expect it to go bad, either. I’ve just got to go out there and get through this first month of going through the rotation a few different times and trying to get back into the routine of things at the big league level and go from there.”
Wheeler’s four-seam fastball averaged 96.1 mph last season. His tracked four-seam fastballs over five rehab starts this year averaged 92.9 mph.
It’s a significant difference.
Does he think the velocity will come back at some point?
“I hope so,” he said. “All you can do is hope, right?”
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Even if Wheeler isn’t 100 percent his old self, it should be an upgrade for the Phillies. They released Taijuan Walker on Thursday, after going 1-4 with a 9.13 ERA in five appearances (four starts). Philadelphia has lost 10 straight and enters Saturday at 8-18, the worst record in the Majors.
“Anybody who gets an injury, you expect to be back to who you were,” Wheeler said. “If you’re not, you make adjustments. But you can’t have the mindset of, ‘I don’t know if I’ll be the same person. Will I be able to make it back?’ You have to have the mindset of, ‘Yeah, I’m going to be back and I’m going to be one of the best in baseball.’”