The Philadelphia Phillies are still battling for playoff position, as they sit six games ahead of the New York Mets in the National League East heading into Saturday’s slate of MLB games, but in the overall playoff seedings, 6 1/2 behind the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers and only 1 1/2 head of the co-leaders in the West, the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres.
Though with 34 games remaining to be played, the Phillies’ playoff spot appears to be relatively safe, there remains much to be decided in the 2025 regular season. But as they charge toward the postseason, they will have to do it without the ace of their starting rotation, who just signed a three-year, $126 million contract prior to this season, 35-year-old Zack Wheeler.
Disastrous Wheeler News on Saturday
Philadelphia received devastating news about Wheeler on Saturday, one week after they placed the Cy Young candidate on the 15-day injured list with a blood clot near his right shoulder. Two days later, the 11-year veteran who was a San Francisco Giants first-round draft pick, sixth overall, in 2009, underwent surgery, known as thrombolysis, to remove the clot.
The results were said at the time to be successful, and though it was not clear when Wheeler would be ready to get back on the mound, the possibility that he could return to the Phillies in 2025 remained on the table.
Not anymore.
And the news got even worse, because the reason Wheeler is now definitively shut down for 2025 is that he will require a second surgery, according to a report by The Athletic.
New Surgery Will Happen in ‘Coming Weeks
When he sought not only a second opinion but a third as well, according to the report, Wheeler’s physicians all told him that he required a procedure known as Thoracic Outlet Syndrome Surgery.
According to a Phillies media statement, cited by MLB Trade Rumors, Wheeler was “diagnosed with venous thoracic outlet syndrome and the recommendation is to undergo thoracic outlet decompression surgery in the coming weeks.â
Obviously, the decision to undergo a new surgical procedure ends Wheeler’s season, and the projected timeline six-to-eight months of recovery puts at least part of the 2026 campaign in doubt for the righty who still ranks ninth in MLB with a 2.79 ERA â and continues to lead the Majors in strikeout rate, with 11.73 per nine innings pitched.
What is Thoracic Outlet Syndrome?
According to information posted by the Mayo Clinic, thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) is “a group of conditions in which there’s pressure on blood vessels or nerves in the area between the neck and shoulder. This space is known as the thoracic outlet. Compression of the blood vessels and nerves can cause shoulder and neck pain. It also can cause numbness in the fingers.”
One of the common causes of TOS is “repetitive injuries from a job or sport,” according to the renowned clinic’s information.
But “venous” TOS is generally somewhat less serious than the “neurogenic” form of the condition. The latter causes compression of the brachial plexus nerves, which control “muscle movements and feeling in the shoulder, arm and hand,” per Mayo.
Rangers Hurler Kelly an Example For Wheeler
Neurogenic TOS was the condition that essentially ended the career of Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg, who was the No. 1 overall draft pick the same year that Wheeler went No. 6.
Even after surgery, Strasburg continued to suffer from “severe nerve damage,” according to a Washington Post report, and called it quits on his career after the 2022 season, in which he made only one start.
Texas Rangers pitcher Merrill Kelly underwent surgery for venous TOS in 2020, and though the surgery involved removal of a rib and a lengthy recovery period, he returned to make 27 starts in 2021, and has pitched every season since.
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