The Philadelphia Phillies’ season took a dramatic turn when doctors discovered ace Zack Wheeler had a blood clot near his right shoulder. The 35-year-old, who underwent a procedure to remove the clot, now faces an uncertain timeline for return. For a club that has leaned heavily on its rotation to stay among the World Series favorites, the news represents a major blow. But inside the Phillies’ clubhouse, the focus is not on innings or playoff matchups—it’s on Wheeler’s health and family.
Harper Leads the Support for Wheeler
On Monday night, Bryce Harper reminded Philadelphia why he has become the heart of the franchise. The two-time MVP smashed two home runs over 440 feet in a 12-7 win over the Seattle Mariners, the first player this season to pull off that feat. Even with the spotlight on him, Harper used his postgame comments to talk about Wheeler.
“We love Zack, man,” Harper said, per The Athletic’s Matt Gelb. “He’s one of our guys in here. He’s one of our leaders. One of the heartbeats that makes us go every fifth day. He’s been one of the best pitchers in all of baseball the last five, six, seven years. So it’s irreplaceable, man. You start thinking about not just the game, but his family and his kids and everything else. It’s bigger than this game.”
Harper’s words reflected the mood of a clubhouse still processing the reality of losing its ace. Wheeler’s dominance gave the Phillies a sense of certainty every time he took the mound. Without him, they’ll need to adjust, but Harper emphasized that baseball takes a backseat to Wheeler’s well-being.
Harper’s leadership has become critical in moments like this. His ability to shift the conversation from wins and losses to life and family has resonated with his teammates. Monday’s win may have shown the Phillies can still score runs and win big games, but the real message of the night was that their superstar wanted to talk about Wheeler above all else.
Schwarber, Thomson Stress Health Over Baseball
Harper wasn’t the only one to voice support. Over the weekend, Kyle Schwarber called Wheeler’s situation a “scary” reminder of how fragile health can be in a sport defined by numbers and performance.
“We heard some rumblings,” Schwarber told MLB.com’s Byron Kerr. “When we got to the field, he wasn’t here. I made sure to shoot him a text. Sounded like he was getting the tests done. It’s a scary situation, right? Anytime that you hear anything that visceral like if it’s a blood clot, that is scary stuff. Baseball is baseball. When it comes to someone’s health we need him healthy first. He’s got a family. We want to get him feeling good for them and then get him back to speed whenever we can.”
Manager Rob Thomson added perspective, saying the Phillies would not rush Wheeler back.
“We don’t know the timeline,” Thomson said. “I’m thinking a lot about Zack and his family because this is not a hamstring injury or something like that.”
Wheeler’s absence creates a challenge for the Phillies’ rotation. Aaron Nola, Ranger Suárez, and Taijuan Walker will need to step up, but the reality is that no one can replace Wheeler’s consistency. Before his diagnosis, the right-hander held a 10-5 record with a 2.71 ERA in 24 starts, leading the majors with 195 strikeouts. His ability to silence opposing lineups anchored Philadelphia’s rise to the top of the National League standings.
Even so, the Phillies proved in Monday’s win that they still have ways to win without Wheeler. Harper’s power surge energized the lineup, and the team piled on runs against Seattle’s bullpen. Going forward, Philadelphia will need to embrace that same resiliency.
For Harper, Schwarber, Thomson, and the rest of the clubhouse, the immediate mission remains unchanged: compete every night. But the ultimate victory, the one everyone in Philadelphia wants most, is seeing Zack Wheeler return healthy, with his family by his side, and eventually back on the mound—on his own timeline.
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