Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler will start his minor-league rehab assignment on Saturday with the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs. The ace is recovering from thoracic outlet syndrome surgery and remains on track for a late April return to the rotation. He threw a successful simulated game on Monday.
Philadelphia Phillies ace Zack Wheeler, sidelined by thoracic outlet syndrome, will begin a rehab assignment on Saturday with the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He is scheduled to pitch three innings against Toledo, with plans for three or four starts total before rejoining the major-league rotation in late April, barring setbacks. Rehab assignments for pitchers can last up to 30 days, aligning with this timeline. Wheeler underwent thoracic outlet decompression surgery on September 23, 2025, involving removal of his first rib after a blood clot was found in his right shoulder area. This forced him to miss the final weeks of the 2025 season, where he had gone 10-5 with a 2.71 ERA over 24 starts before the injury. In 2025, he struck out 195 against 33 walks in 149 2/3 innings, with a 0.94 WHIP and 163 ERA+; he had finished second in NL Cy Young voting in 2024 as well. On Monday in Clearwater, Florida, Wheeler pitched two simulated innings against minor leaguers at Carpenter Complex, retiring seven of eight batters faced. He threw 29 pitches at up to 94 mph velocity, using his full arsenal. > “A successful spring,” Wheeler said. > “Four-ish, give or take,” Wheeler said of rehab starts. > “It would’ve been nice to get into a [Grapefruit League] game, but this is good enough. … We kind of mapped it out, and this was part of the plan.” Phillies manager Rob Thomson praised Wheeler's command and velocity as normal for spring training. > “I’m very confident,” Thomson said. Wheeler, down about 10 pounds from his 2025 playing weight of 205 due to post-surgery diet, noted he had previously pitched effectively at 185 pounds with the Mets. He will travel with the Phillies to Philadelphia for Opening Day on Thursday at Citizens Bank Park, returning between IronPigs starts for checkups. Without Wheeler initially, the rotation features Cristopher Sánchez, Aaron Nola, Jesús Luzardo, Taijuan Walker, and rookie Andrew Painter.
