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<\/p>\nPHILADELPHIA \u2014 As Zack Wheeler consulted specialists for a second and third opinion this week, the Phillies feared the worst. They operated with the assumption that Wheeler would not throw another pitch for them in 2025, a debilitating blow to a club carrying a franchise-record payroll and the highest of expectations. They had hoped for a miracle \u2014 that the blood clot removed from Wheeler\u2019s right shoulder area was not the sign of a deeper problem.<\/p>\n
But there was a consensus among the specialists. Wheeler was diagnosed with venous thoracic outlet syndrome and must undergo surgery to remove a rib. The Phillies estimate he\u2019ll need six to eight months of recovery, which means his absence could seep into the 2026 season.<\/p>\n
Wheeler, who turns 36 next May, faces a major hurdle to continuing his career at an elite level.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe figure that he\u2019ll come back in the six-to-eight month time period and come back and be the Zack Wheeler of old,\u201d Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Saturday. \u201cThat\u2019s what we\u2019ve been told. Unless something unanticipated happened, he\u2019ll be able to come back and pitch like he has before this.\u201d<\/p>\n
This procedure is considered far riskier than, say, elbow reconstruction through Tommy John surgery. It has ended careers or transformed pitchers into far diminished versions. But Wheeler\u2019s version of thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) is not the most common among pitchers, the one that can damage nerves.<\/p>\n
Wheeler could begin throwing again eight weeks after the surgery, Phillies head athletic trainer Paul Buhcheit said. Wheeler slipped into Citizens Bank Park on Friday afternoon to see the medical staff. After the game, word began to spread through Wheeler\u2019s teammates about his prognosis. Buccheit, who has grown close to Wheeler during their fastidious between-starts routine, was one of the few to actually see Wheeler.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s doing well,\u201d Buchheit said. \u201cHe\u2019s doing fine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wheeler was resting at home after a procedure to remove the blood clot, then he traveled to see what Buchheit referred to as \u201cthe leaders in the industry on this.\u201d The surgery, a thoracic outlet decompression, has yet to be scheduled.<\/p>\n
The sport is littered with TOS survivors and horror stories. It\u2019s an ailment that ended Stephen Strasburg\u2019s career, but Strasburg suffered from the nerve-related TOS. The closest comparison to Wheeler might be Merrill Kelly, who developed a blood clot in his shoulder late in the 2020 season. He was diagnosed with venous TOS and underwent surgery to remove a rib on Sept. 9, 2020, about a month before his 32nd birthday. He returned to start the second game of the 2021 season for the Arizona Diamondbacks and has made 129 starts since.<\/p>\n
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Merrill Kelly has made 129 starts since undergoing a similar surgical procedure that awaits Zack Wheeler. (Jamie Squire \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n