Zack Wheeler injured a nail on his pitching hand while attempting to put on a pair of pants. Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Phillies' Zack Wheeler could lose fingernail following freak pants-related injury

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 9/11/20

The Philadelphia Phillies were initially hopeful that right-handed pitcher Zack Wheeler would have a start against the Miami Marlins pushed back from Saturday to Monday after he injured a nail on his pitching hand while attempting to put on a pair of pants.

That might have been overly optimistic.

Per Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Phillies manager Joe Girardi told reporters on Friday that it would be "fortunate" if Wheeler takes the bump against Miami on Monday. Girardi added that Wheeler's middle fingernail might need to be removed:

Joe Girardi said the Phillies would feel fortunate if Zack Wheeler starts on Monday. The nail on Wheeler's middle finger may have to be removed after he got it caught in the zipper of his jeans.
— Matt Breen (@matt_breen) September 11, 2020

"I was putting on my pants, & I stumbled. I just lost my balance a bit & my foot was going down while I was pulling my pants up. The lip of the belt buckle area kind of just caught my nail because my nail was already raised. It was easy just to catch it and just rip it a little." https://t.co/cNkMc5jrwt
— Matt Breen (@matt_breen) September 11, 2020

The Phillies open a three-game series versus division foes the New York Mets, Wheeler's club from 2013 through 2019, on Tuesday.

Wheeler possesses a 4-0 record with a 2.47 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 51.0 innings of work across eight starts this season. He put pen to paper on a five-year, $118 million contract with the Phillies last December.

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