CLEARWATER, Fla. — They warmed side by side, righty and lefty, playing catch on a Carpenter Complex back field. Then Jesús Luzardo and Zack Wheeler walked to the mound by the half field together, where Luzardo threw a routine bullpen session and Wheeler let his fastball fly from the mound for the first time in six months.
“When he came in (today), he felt good,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said, “So, we went after it. It was 21 pitches. The velo was good. The ball flight was good.”
Perhaps most important is that Wheeler came out of the bullpen session feeling good — both in terms of health and how the bullpen went. Wrapping up a successful bullpen is the latest milestone in Wheeler’s recovery after undergoing thoracic outlet decompression surgery in September. At the time, the Phillies said they expected a six-to-eight month recovery period. Wheeler is poised to be on the early end of that time frame should he continue his current trajectory, though the Phillies do not want to commit to a concrete timeline.
Wheeler’s 21 pitches on Thursday were exclusively four-seamers and sinkers. When it was all over, he hung out with the Phillies pitching coaches on the mound, then watched Luzardo throw.
The Phillies have expressed optimism about Wheeler being ready early in the season. He could throw in a simulated game on the back fields or in a Grapefruit League game before camp ends, Thomson said. It is also possible Wheeler could be regular-season ready in six weeks, Thomson added, depending on “how he feels and how he recovers.
“It’s new stuff, and it’s different than a lot of other injuries. So, we really can’t pin it down to a day or a week.”
Thomson said they do not know when Wheeler’s next bullpen will be, though they are hopeful he can follow the Phillies’ typical build-up plan: a bullpen, two days off, then getting back on the mound.
Wheeler opened camp throwing out to 90 feet, then progressing to flat-ground work and throwing to 120 feet. He spent the winter in Philadelphia, rehabbing under the watch of the Phillies medical staff. It is this hard work, Thomson said, that has put Wheeler in this position post-surgery.
“He’s worked harder than he’s ever worked in the offseason,” Thomson said. “It’s a really good sign. He’s strong — shoulder’s stronger than it ever has been. (I) really feel good about him.”
Part of the reason the Phillies are so optimistic about Wheeler is because of the type of thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) he was diagnosed with. Vascular TOS, which affects the subclavian vein, tends to have better outcomes than neurogenic TOS, the more common, nerve-based variant. Reliever Brad Keller, Wheeler’s new teammate, said Wednesday that he felt like he had a “new lease” on his career after putting TOS in the rearview mirror.
Injury notes
• Top prospect Aidan Miller has been sidelined with a sore back, but ramped up his work in the weight room. He is not participating in any baseball activities. It has been a tough start to an important camp for Miller, though it was already unlikely he would break camp with the major-league team.
• Orion Kerkering suffered a hamstring strain in his final bullpen session before spring training, but the Phillies expect him to return to the mound by the end of the weekend.
• Brandon Marsh jammed his hand during a sliding drill on Tuesday, Thomson said, and has some inflammation and soreness. Imaging showed no damage. It is unlikely Marsh will play until after the Phillies’ first spring training off-day on Monday.