Phillies Boss Offers 2-Word Response On Zack Wheeler Closing Out Contract

The Philadelphia Phillies earned a win against the Washington Nationals on Saturday but it was preceded by a brutal loss.

The team will officially be without franchise ace Zack Wheeler for the rest of the season after the pitcher underwent a procedure to remove a blood clot near his shoulder. The team announced that the expected timeline for recovery from that procedure is six to eight months, according to Paul Casella of MLB.com.

But, given Wheeler’s veteran status and the mileage on his arm, plus the seriousness of a condition like a blood clot, there have been some questions about whether or not Wheeler would look to return to the mound at all.

“The three-time All-Star is under contract through the 2027 season, but something this serious could cause an athlete and his family to reconsider things,” Tim Kelly noted for On Pattison.

Wheeler had repeatedly said that after his deal with the Phillies concludes, he will retire from pitching altogether. But it’s reasonable to wonder if a health scare like this could change that timeline.

When asked if Wheeler is committed to continuing his career through the rest of his contract with the Phillies, the team’s president of baseball operations, Dave Dombrowski, offered a clear two-word response.

“For sure,” Dombrowski said, per Kelly.

That commitment would put Wheeler on track to return to the Phillies sometime in the early part of next season. And there’s reason for the team to be optimistic that he can reclaim his ace form at that point, though only time will tell for sure.

In the meantime, the Phillies will have to continue their push for a World Series bid this year without him. In the near term, Cristopher Sanchez is the obvious frontline replacement for the first game of a playoff series. Beyond that, though, it’s hard to say how the Phillies will adjust to the loss of their ace.

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