Phillies’ Zack Wheeler to have thoracic outlet surgery, out 6-8 months
Thomson unconcerned about Duran's blown save
From The Reporter/MediaNews Group: https://tinyurl.com/mr2fkbs3
PHILADELPHIA — The news wasn’t unexpected, but it was jarring nonetheless.
Phillies ace right-hander Zack Wheeler is out for the rest of the season, the team announced Saturday.
Wheeler, 35, has been diagnosed with venous thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS), and the recommendation was to undergo thoracic outlet decompression surgery in the coming weeks. Such a procedure typically has a recovery time of six to eight months.
In a stunning development a week ago, the Phillies placed Wheeler on the 15-day injured list when doctors discovered a blood clot in the upper part of his pitching arm after he had complained of discomfort. He underwent successful surgery to remove the clot last Monday morning at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Center City. In the ensuing days, through a follow-up evaluation and second opinions, came the venous TOS diagnosis.
“I found out last night,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said in the dugout before Saturday’s game against the Washington Nationals. “He’s healthy. It’s disappointing to lose him, but we have a lot of depth here. I love our club. So, the six- to eight-month recovery was encouraging to me.”
Thomson, who has said Wheeler’s health is of paramount importance and goes beyond baseball, had a sense of relief in his voice that the veteran would be OK.
TOS occurs when blood vessels or nerves in the space between the collarbone and first rib (the thoracic outlet) are compressed, which can lead to pain, tingling, numbness and weakness in the neck, shoulder, arm and hand, according to Yale Medicine. Among the causes are trauma and repetitive arm motion. The surgery relieves this compression.
Venous TOS is generally considered less serious than neurogenic TOS for a pitcher. Current Texas Rangers right-hander Merrill Kelly, who helped lead the Arizona Diamondbacks over the Phillies in the 2023 NLCS, had successful venous TOS surgery in Sept. of 2020 and returned for the start of the 2021 season.
“We figure that he’ll come back in the six- to eight-month time period and be the Zack Wheeler of old,” team president Dave Dombrowski said. “That’s what we’ve been told (by the medical team).
“Of course, it’s never good to lose your No. 1 pitcher. I think we have starting pitching depth that’s capable of pitching well for us and pitching well in the postseason. Again, you’re never going to replace an individual like that. But when you go into the postseason, with all different types of scenarios with different pitchers being out, we have a good ballclub (and we need) for other people to step up and pick up the slack for us.”
Wheeler, a three-time All-Star, was 10-5 this season with 195 strikeouts in 149 2/3 innings. He had a 2.71 ERA and 0.94 WHIP. He is 113-75 with a 3.28 ERA in his 11-year major league career and is signed through the 2027 season.
“It’s tough to lose him, especially (a player) of his caliber and this part of the season,” said righty Aaron Nola, who started Saturday against the Nationals. “It’s tough for the team, the city and the organization. But we’re gonna do our best to pick him up and go win as many more baseball games as possible.”
The Phillies’ current rotation consists of Christopher Sanchez, Ranger Suárez, Jesús Luzardo, Taijuan Walker and Nola.
Their top Triple-A prospect, right-hander Andrew Painter, has been uneven with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs this season, though he gave up just one run while striking out five in five frames against the Durham Bulls on Friday.
Nola, who struggled early in the year and then was sidelined with an ankle injury and a broken rib, was solid in Saturday’s 6-4 victory over the Nationals, his second start since returning. He went six innings, allowing five hits, a walk and three runs (two earned). He did give up a pair of homers, but he displayed elevated velocity.
“Much better,” Thomson said. “He looked really good tonight. Touched 94 mph. Command of his fastball was really good. Curveball was sharp, mixed in his changeup late, got some rollovers on that. … I thought he was great.”
Recently acquired closer Jhoan Duran (aka “the Durantula”), whose entrances in home games are a spectacle of lights and music, with a fiery digital image of a spider crawling around the outfield wall, suffered his first blown save as a Phillie in Friday night’s series opener against the Nats. But Thomson said he wasn’t worried, invoking the greatest closer of all time.
“Mariano (Rivera) had 80 of them, so it’s going to happen every once in a while,” he said.
Thomson, as a longtime coach with the Yankees, witnessed Rivera up close in the last six seasons of his Hall of Fame career. Rivera, a 13-time All-Star and five-time World Series champion, recorded 652 saves in 732 opportunities, with a lifetime ERA of 2.21 and WHIP of 1.00.
He famously used to come into games with Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” blasting over the stadium speakers.
Duran, who entered with a one-run Phillies lead, struck out three but took the loss after an inning of work. He gave up two hits and two runs, but the go-ahead run scored when catcher J.T. Realmuto sailed a throw to third.
“It’s just the game,” Duran said of the defeat. “Sometimes that happens, even when you prepare for everything.”
Thomson tapped Duran again on Saturday. He threw a scoreless ninth to notch the save.
NOTES: Edmundo Sosa got the start at second base over Bryson Stott on Saturday against Washington lefty Mitchell Parker. Stott was hitting .342 with 12 extra-base hits, 15 RBIs and a 1.006 OPS in his last 26 games. Sosa went 1-for-3 with a three-run homer. … Trea Turner saw a 10-game hitting streak snapped on Friday. He had batted .522 during that span. He bounced back with a solo home run on Saturday. … With SEPTA cuts taking effect Sunday, the Phillies are encouraging fans to allow for extra time getting to Citizens Bank Park. Among the changes are the elimination of special express trains for games.
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Follow Christiaan DeFranco on X at @the_defranc.