What’s next for Phillies’ Zack Wheeler after rough rehab start?
After putting up three scoreless innings in the first outing of his minor-league rehab assignment last week, Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler had a rough start for Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Friday night.
The veteran ace allowed five earned runs on four hits and one home run against Durham, walking two batters and hitting a pair of others in a 10-6 IronPigs win at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Wheeler threw 49 pitches (26 strikes) and struggled with his control in the third inning. He did not execute his pitches as well as he did at Coca-Cola Park last Saturday, and his velocity was down about a half-tick.
Of course, Friday night’s start was only Wheeler’s second rehab outing on his way back from thoracic outlet decompression surgery, and he’s been ahead of schedule this entire time. But with a maximum rehab stint of 30 days, he’ll be heading back to the big leagues soon. Every step of the way will be important to monitor.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson said earlier this week that Wheeler will make at least one more minor-league rehab start with Lehigh Valley — not Double-A Reading as previously stated.
The defense behind Wheeler only exacerbated his third-inning woes. He retired the first batter he faced in the frame, then plunked Cooper Bowman with a 92 mph sinker and walked Victor Mesa Jr. He struck out the next hitter and could have been out of the inning a batter later.
Raynel Delgado hit a 91.7 mph fastball from Wheeler to the warning track, but the IronPigs outfielders allowed the catchable ball to fall in for a two-run double. Wheeler hit the next batter, Dom Keegan, with a 91.8 mph sinker and grooved a 3-0, 92.5 mph four-seamer down the middle to Jacob Melton, who hit a three-run homer to right field.
The plan was for Wheeler to go about four innings and 50 to 55 pitches, but his pitch count prevented him from increasing his innings total. He averaged 92.7 mph on his four-seam fastball on an 80-degree night in North Carolina on Friday, compared to his 93.3 mph average on a 45-degree afternoon in the Lehigh Valley last weekend.
There’s no need to sound the alarms because of one lackluster rehab start — especially one that could have looked a lot better in the box score if an outfielder called for a ball with two outs. But even aside from that play, Wheeler’s control was just not all there, and he wasn’t really missing bats.
It will be worth tracking whether or not Wheeler, whose four-seam fastball averaged 96.1 mph in 2025, can ramp up his velocity and maintain his effectiveness deeper into the game before he reenters the Phillies’ rotation. He’ll start again this upcoming week for the IronPigs at Coca-Cola Park, likely on Thursday if the organization chooses to keep him on the schedule he’s been on.
Maybe he’ll be added to Philadelphia’s roster after that start, or perhaps he could make one more rehab appearance. It might depends on how he looks and feels the next time he’s on the mound for the IronPigs.