The Philadelphia Phillies were handed a tough blow last week as news surfaced that Zack Wheeler was placed on the 15-day injured list with a forearm issue. On Wednesday, they updated the status of their ace and Phillies fans should be able to breathe a sigh of relief.
According to The Athletic's Phillies beat writer Matt Gelb, Wheeler is likely to pitch a bullpen session this weekend in San Francisco. If all goes well, he is expected to make his return to the rotation Tuesday. That means he is being fast tracked and likely would not require any rehab starts.
Zack Wheeler is likely to throw a bullpen session this weekend in San Francisco and everything is still trending well for him starting Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park.
— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) August 31, 2022
The Phillies will host the Miami Marlins on Tuesday, which would be one of the ideal teams to make his return against. Miami has one of the league's worst offenses.
Philadelphia could really use their ace back. The Phillies have dropped three straight games after winning six straight. That has left them percentage points ahead of the San Diego Padres for the second of three wild card spots. The Milwaukee Brewers are likely the only team that could surpass the Phillies and knock them from the playoffs. The Brewers entered play Wednesday night 2.5 games back of the Phillies.
Zack Wheeler is having a fantastic season for Philadelphia. He has posted an 11-7 record with a 3.07 ERA and an impressive 1.08 WHIP. Wheeler has 148 strikeouts in just 138 innings pitched this season.
Injuries have marred the Phillies season thus far. Bryce Harper missed a couple of months, Nick Castellanos missed time, Seranthony Dominguez has been out nearly all season, Zach Elfin is banged up, the list goes on and on. Despite that, the Phillies have surprised a lot of people this year.
If Wheeler returns healthy, they might just be able to make some noise this postseason.
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