The Philadelphia Phillies will have to do without their ace for a while, but that’s not at the front of their minds right now.
Zack Wheeler, a perennial National League Cy Young contender, had been dealing with some shoulder pain in recent outings. On Saturday, though, it was revealed that the 35-year-old has a blood clot in his “right upper extremity,” according to MLB.com’s Byron Kerr.
Certainly, the Phillies hope Wheeler can come back and contribute to their playoff chase. But right now, his teammates, including slugger Kyle Schwarber, are just hoping there’s nothing long-lasting to worry about.
“We heard some rumblings,” Schwarber said, per Kerr. “When we got to the field, he wasn’t here. I made sure (to shoot) him a text. Sounded like (he) was getting the tests done.
“It’s a scary situation, right? Anytime that you hear anything that visceral like if it’s a blood clot, that is scary stuff. I want to get him back in here and hear from him and hopefully it’s not going to be too serious. Baseball is baseball. When it comes to someone’s health we need him healthy first. He’s got a family. We want to get him feeling good for them and then get him back to speed whenever we can.”
Manager Rob Thomson agreed that baseball was secondary in the Phillies’ minds at the moment.
“We don’t know the timeline,” Thomson said, per Kerr. “I’m thinking a lot about Zack and his family because this is not a hamstring injury or something like that.”
Wheeler, a three-time All-Star, managed a 10-5 record and 2.71 ERA in 24 starts this season, and entering play on Sunday, he led all pitchers across the majors with 195 strikeouts.
It’s going to take a big effort from the rest of Philadelphia’s rotation to replace Wheeler for however long he’s out, but his long-term health has to be prioritized over returning for any big game in particular.
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