Wheeler says he'd pitch in ASG despite Sunday start -- and Phils staff backs ace

CINCINNATI -- Phillies ace Zack Wheeler said he would pitch in Tuesday’s All-Star Game, even though he is scheduled to start Sunday’s first-half finale in Detroit.

Wheeler’s availability to pitch in the Midsummer Classic is almost certainly why he hasn’t been named to the NL All-Star team yet. He is 9-1 with a 2.28 ERA following a dominant performance Tuesday against the Reds at Great American Ball Park, where he struck out 14 and walked none in seven innings. He is tied for second in MLB with 4.3 bWAR, alongside Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski and Cincinnati’s Chase Burns, despite missing the first month of the season following thoracic outlet surgery in September.

Phillies teammate Cristopher Sánchez (5.0 bWAR) ranks first.

“I feel fine the second and third days [after a start], when I usually throw my bullpen,” Wheeler said Tuesday, explaining why he believes he can pitch in the All-Star Game.

It would mean a lot to Wheeler to make his fourth All-Star team, considering his comeback from surgery, his success on the mound this season and the fact the game will be played at Citizens Bank Park.

But would the Phillies be OK with it?

“I’d be OK with it,” Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly said. “I haven’t talked to Dave [Dombrowski]. Nobody’s asked that question. Hypotheticals are always dangerous. But, I mean, if guys really want to do something, and they feel like they can do it …”

Mattingly nodded.

“I trust Zack,” pitching coach Caleb Cotham said. “Zack knows his body. Obviously, there's still that last start [in Detroit], but within the realm of possibilities, I feel very confident he could do that. Obviously, you'd have to check some boxes and get out of the next start, right? But he’s a grown man. He knows his body. He knows what he's capable of doing, right? Especially if he wants it, I’m not going to be the one to stand in his way.”

The concern, of course, would be about an increased chance of injury. It’s not a small consideration. Losing Wheeler would be catastrophic to the Phillies’ championship aspirations.

But what are the chances?

“I can’t point to a specific risk,” Cotham said.

Wheeler typically throws his bullpen session the second or third day after he starts, so Tuesday could serve as a bullpen session of sorts.

It’s not like Dodgers manager Dave Roberts would run Wheeler into the ground, either. Cotham was the NL’s pitching coach at the 2023 All-Star Game. Teams gave former Phillies manager Rob Thomson and Cotham guidelines for how pitchers could be used -- 20-pitch maximums, for example.

The same could be set for Wheeler.

“Right now, he feels good,” Cotham said. “He’s throwing the ball well. He feels great.”