Philadelphia Phillies starter Zack Wheeler was recommended to undergo thoracic outlet decompression surgery in the coming weeks and will miss the remainder of the 2025 season, the team announced Saturday.
He’s expected to undergo the procedure in the next few weeks.
Wheeler had a procedure to remove a blood clot in his right arm earlier this week. After follow-up exams, he was diagnosed with venous thoracic outlet syndrome, which requires a different surgery to fix. The recovery time from his upcoming procedure is around six-to-eight months.
“We figure that he’ll come back in the six-to-eight month time period and come back and be the Zack Wheeler of old,” president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said, according to Matt Gelb of The Athletic. “That’s what we’ve been told. Unless something unanticipated happened, he’ll be able to come back and pitch like he has before this.”
Head athletic trainer Paul Buccheit added that Wheeler is “doing fine,” and said that surgeons told the Phillies that the prognosis is “really good,” per Gelb.
The 35-year-old Wheeler was in the midst of another strong campaign with a 2.71 ERA in 24 starts while leading the majors in strikeouts (195) and WHIP (0.935). Wheeler was an All-Star for the third time in six seasons last month.
Wheeler is in the first season of a three-year, $126-million extension signed in March 2024. He initially joined Philadelphia on a five-year, $118-million contract in 2020.
The Phillies hold a six-game lead on the New York Mets in the NL East.
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