{"id":158171,"date":"2025-08-19T10:37:19","date_gmt":"2025-08-19T10:37:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/158171\/"},"modified":"2025-08-19T10:37:19","modified_gmt":"2025-08-19T10:37:19","slug":"zack-wheelers-phillies-teammates-react-after-shocking-diagnosis-out-of-the-blue-its-scary-were-praying-for-him","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/158171\/","title":{"rendered":"Zack Wheeler’s Phillies teammates react after shocking diagnosis out of the blue: ‘It’s scary, we’re praying for him’"},"content":{"rendered":"

By JAKE FENNER, US SPORTS WRITER<\/a> <\/p>\n

Published: 12:52 EDT, 17 August 2025 | Updated: 14:03 EDT, 17 August 2025 <\/p>\n

The Philadelphia Phillies<\/a> are rallying around starting pitcher Zack Wheeler, who is reeling from a disturbing and rare medical diagnosis.<\/p>\n

Wheeler is suffering from a ‘right upper extremity blood clot’<\/a>\u00a0and could face a lengthy spell away from the team as he receives urgent medical attention.<\/p>\n

Phillies doctors are planning for Wheeler to undergo further testing within the next few days, and if the situation requires more serious treatment, he could be elevated to the 60-day injury list and miss significantly more time.<\/p>\n

‘There’s not a whole lot we can say on it at this time,’ Phillies GM Dave Dombrowski said, ‘but I commend [head athletic trainer Paul Buchheit] and the doctors for finding this because it could’ve been a much more trying situation than what it is.’<\/p>\n

Buchheit confirmed that the clot is located in Wheeler’s throwing shoulder.<\/p>\n

The pitcher initially had a start in August pushed back due to shoulder soreness before making two on-schedule appearances. But, he noticed a decrease in his velocity and only tossed five innings on Friday night against Washington.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The Phillies are rallying around Zach Wheeler, who discovered a blood clot in his shoulder<\/p>\n

\"Wheeler, <\/p>\n

Wheeler, a father of four, has been a superstar since moving to Philadelphia in 2019<\/p>\n

‘Zack had been feeling better after his right shoulder soreness, but yesterday some symptoms had changed,’ Buchheit said. ‘He felt a little heaviness. The doctors here were great in helping to diagnose and expediting that diagnosis this morning.’\u00a0<\/p>\n

No definitive prognosis has been reached and doctors don’t believe the clot was responsible for his previous shoulder soreness, but he has initially been placed on the 15-day injury list.<\/p>\n

The 15-day IL designation does not mean Wheeler – a father of four – will necessarily be back in 15 days, and he\u00a0will continue to receive urgent treatment as the team decides their next move.<\/p>\n

A blood clot is a rare diagnosis for a healthy, fit man with no underlying illness or previous issues.<\/p>\n

It has been reported that a clot can be caused by a repetitive arm motion – something that Wheeler, as a professional baseball player, does every day during the season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Some of the symptoms of the clot include swelling and severe pain in the area, and his Phillies teammates, understandably,\u00a0have reacted with much concern and a number of them have spoken out about their friend and colleague.<\/p>\n

Fellow starter Taijuan Walker said, ‘It’s obviously scary. … Obviously, we’re praying for him, trying to keep in contact with him. But I know that he knows we’re all here for him.’\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘I shot him a text,’ said star slugger and NL MVP front-runner Kyle Schwarber. ‘Sounded like everything was getting the tests done and things like that. It’s a scary situation, right? \u2026 Just want to get him back in here and hear from him.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘Hopefully, it’s not anything too serious. I don’t know what the prognosis is going to be or what they’re going to have to do. I don’t know if it’s surgery.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘I don’t think anyone knows right now. \u2026 But get him in here and get him healthy. I think that’s the biggest thing.<\/p>\n

‘Baseball is baseball. When it comes to someone’s health like that, we need him healthy first. He’s got a family, so we want to get him feeling good for them and get him back to speed whenever we can.’<\/p>\n

\"Kyle \"Taijuan <\/p>\n

Teammates Kyle Schwarber (L) and Taijuan Walker (R) have sent him messages of support<\/p>\n

It also throws a wrench in the plans of manager Rob Thomson to run a six-man starting rotation. But that’s not the main thing on his mind at the moment.<\/p>\n

‘We don’t know the timeline,’ Thomson said. ‘I’m thinking a lot about Zack and his family because it’s not a hamstring injury or something like that. But I feel good about the depth that we have. If we have to go to a (six-man rotation), it could be (Andrew) Painter, it could be somebody else. We’ve just got to carry on. People have to step up.’\u00a0<\/p>\n

Wheeler signed with Philadelphia in December 2019 and has been a star for them ever since.<\/p>\n

He’s posted a record of 69-37 and averaged a 2.91 ERA in his time in the City of Brotherly Love.<\/p>\n

So far this season, he has an ERA of 2.71 and a record of 10-5.<\/p>\n

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