It is unlikely Zack Wheeler will be ready for Opening Day, Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Monday.
The Phillies ace, nearly five months removed from thoracic outlet decompression surgery, continues to rehab as pitchers and catchers report this week in Clearwater, Fla. While his rehab may have Wheeler behind his teammates at the start of the regular season, club officials feel he will be ready soon after Opening Day.
“I don’t think it’s going to be long that he’ll be ready,” president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said.
Wheeler, 35, underwent surgery for vascular thoracic outlet syndrome on Sept. 23. The expected timeline for recovery was six-to-eight months. So, should Wheeler be available early in the season, he would also be on the early end of the anticipated recovery period.
Wheeler has thrown out to 90 feet, Thomson said, and threw as recently as Saturday. Now, the pitcher awaits clearance from the medical staff to get on the mound. From there, his spring training will likely look like a typical rehab process, including facing live hitters and building up his workload.
“But he’s doing fine,” Thomson said. “We’re not going to push him. He’s far too important for our club to push him and him have a setback, and then we’re behind in April.”
The prognosis for vascular thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) tends to be better than the more common form of TOS, neurogenic. Vascular TOS affects the subclavian vein whereas neurogenic TOS affects the nerves, which recover more slowly. Diamondbacks pitcher Merrill Kelly, also diagnosed with vascular TOS, told The Athletic last September that he felt like himself again less than six months post-surgery.
The Phillies, in the meantime, continue to pursue more starting pitching depth and view Taijuan Walker and Andrew Painter as rotation candidates in Wheeler’s absence.