'I felt good': Phillies get potentially great news on Zack Wheeler

The Philadelphia Phillies may have received encouraging news on ace Zack Wheeler, who threw his first bullpen session Thursday since undergoing thoracic outlet decompression surgery on his right shoulder in September. 

Wheeler told MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki afterward, “I felt good. I felt smooth, natural.”

When asked if he was ready to begin his six-week ramp-up period, Wheeler added, “That’s what it looks like.” Six weeks from Friday, Feb. 27, lands on April 9 — potentially lining Wheeler up to start April 10, when manager Rob Thomson’s club opens a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

That would put Wheeler roughly 12 games into the season before making his return. 

Before the surgery, Wheeler was on track to challenge Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander and eventual Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes for the honor. Wheeler went 10-5 with a 2.71 ERA in 24 starts, striking out 195 in 149.2 innings.

Zack Wheeler's return early would give a boost to a questionable Phillies starting rotation

In 2025, the Phillies had the second-best starting rotation in baseball (3.53 ERA), thanks to their 1-2 punch of Wheeler and Cy Young Award runner-up, left-hander Cristopher Sánchez (13–5, 2.50 ERA). However, that dominant rotation is more questionable heading into 2026, as one of their better starters, left-hander Ranger Suárez, left to sign with the Boston Red Sox in free agency (five years, $130 million).

Wheeler’s return remains uncertain. Meanwhile, right-hander Aaron Nola is coming off the worst season of his career in 2025 — a career-worst 5–10 record and 6.01 ERA in 17 starts, after making 30-plus starts in six of the previous seven seasons.

Also, rookie Andrew Painter has yet to throw a pitch in the major leagues and struggled at Triple-A last season (5–6, 5.40 ERA).

All told, the rotation has legitimate cause for concern.

Whether or not Wheeler will return to the elite pitcher he was before undergoing surgery remains to be seen. He can look to his teammate, right-hander Brad Keller, for encouragement, as he had the same surgery in 2023 and signed a two-year, $ 22M deal with Philadelphia in December 2025.