Phillies ace Zack Wheeler had surgery Monday to remove a blood clot in his upper right arm, and the team says a timeline for his recovery remains uncertain.
The Phillies said Wheeler underwent a thrombolysis procedure by Dr. Paul DiMuzio at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.
The 35-year-old Wheeler was placed on the 15-day injured list Saturday with a blood clot after experiencing worsening shoulder soreness.
Wheeler, who made his third All-Star team last month, is 10-5 with a 2.71 ERA in 24 starts this season. He has a major league-high 195 strikeouts in 149.2 innings. He has thrown at least 192 innings in three of the previous four seasons.
The veteran right-hander looked like he was in the running for his first career Cy Young as the Phillies’ ace, while they attempted to win the NL East crown and make it to the postseason for the fourth consecutive season. The strength of their rotation, which includes Wheeler as well as Cristopher Sanchez, Ranger Suarez and Taijuan Walker, have helped compensate for a lacking bullpen.
Now, with Wheeler out indefinitely, it becomes even more important for Aaron Nola – who recently returned from the IL himself when he pitched on Aug. 17 against the Nationals – to perform more like he did even last year, and before 2025’s injury troubles.
The Phillies are in first place in the NL East, five games up on the New York Mets and tied for the second-most wins in the NL behind the Brewers.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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