PHILADELPHIA — A medical review this week left the Phillies facing a stark reality about Zack Wheeler: venous thoracic outlet syndrome that will require surgery to remove a rib, with a recovery timeline that could push his return into 2026. The club had feared Wheeler might not throw another pitch for them in 2025, a blow to a team with a franchise-record payroll and high expectations.
The consensus among specialists is that Wheeler must undergo thoracic outlet decompression to address the venous TOS. The Phillies estimate a six-to-eight month recovery, meaning his absence could extend well into the next cardinal season. Wheeler, who turns 36 next May, has been the team’s top pitcher and a central piece of Philadelphia’s high-spirits, both on and off the mound.
“We figure that he’ll come back in the six-to-eight month time period and come back and be the Zack Wheeler of old,” Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Saturday. “That’s what we’ve been told. Unless something unanticipated happened, he’ll be able to come back and pitch like he has before this.”
This particular procedure is significantly riskier than some other post-throw surgeries. It’s more complex than elbow reconstruction and has ended some pitchers’ careers or altered their effectiveness. Wheeler’s type of TOS is the venous variety, which differs from the nerve-related form that can cause numbness or tingling in fingers or the hand. While nerve issues are a common concern in pitchers, venous TOS is viewed as a more straightforward recovery path, though still a serious one.
Wheeler could begin throwing again about eight weeks after the surgery, according to Phillies head athletic trainer Paul Buchheit. The pitcher visited the team’s facilities on Friday to consult the medical staff after resting at home following a procedure to remove the blood clot from his shoulder area. The thoracic outlet decompression procedure itself has not been scheduled publicly.
The sport, unsurprisingly, has a history with thoracic outlet issues. Venous TOS has derailed some pitchers, while others have returned to form. The golf-ball-sized cautionary tale here is not to anchor the prognosis on a single case, but to acknowledge that outcomes vary. Merrill Kelly’s experience offers one benchmark: he developed venous TOS in 2020, had rib removal surgery, and returned to start the second game of the 2021 season, going on to make 129 starts since. Compare that with nerve-related TOS cases like Stephen Strasburg’s, which illustrate how differently the syndrome can present and influence a career.
For Wheeler, the timing intersected with an ongoing focus on keeping him healthy as the sport’s highest-paid pitcher this year. He carries two seasons left on a three-year, $126 million contract. Through most of this season he performed at a high level, building a reputation as one of the game’s most reliable anchors. The question now is whether Philadelphia can weather the hit to its rotation while Wheeler rehabilitates and whether he can again pitch at the elite level he has shown in the past.
The Phillies must move forward in 2025 without their ace, but the organization remains optimistic about Wheeler’s eventual return. The club has stressed that this is an acute issue, not a chronic problem, and they have a history of rallying around and rebuilding around star players when they’re sidelined.
Summary
– Zack Wheeler has venous thoracic outlet syndrome requiring rib-removal surgery, with an expected six-to-eight month recovery that could push a return to the 2026 season.
– The procedure is riskier than some other surgeries, but Wheeler’s form of TOS is venous rather than nerve-related; recovery timelines can vary.
– Wheeler could begin throwing again roughly eight weeks after surgery, but the operation date has not been set.
– The Phillies will navigate the 2025 season without Wheeler while referencing examples like Merrill Kelly as a potential, hopeful comparator for recovery.
– Wheeler remains under a sizable contract with two years left on his deal, and team leadership remains confident about a return to his prior performance.
Additional notes and context
– The Phillies are balancing a high payroll with a need to maintain competitiveness in Wheeler’s absence.
– While the prognosis is hopeful, the timeframe is inherently uncertain, and the team will likely lean on its depth and development pipeline as it plans for 2025.
Positive spin and outlook
– While this is a setback, many players have returned from venous TOS to perform at elite levels, and Wheeler has shown resilience throughout his career. If the timing aligns with the surgical recovery, there is reason to believe he can rejoin Philadelphia’s rotation in a strong form as the team pursues continued success.
Evaluation
negative