Zack Wheeler continues to show that his arm is as strong as ever during his time in Triple-A, highlighted by a recent outing of 61 pitches over 4.1 innings with Lehigh Valley IronPigs, a clear sign he could be close to returning to the majors with the Philadelphia Phillies.
In that appearance, Wheeler allowed just one earned run, issued one walk, and struck out six batters, reinforcing that his effectiveness on the mound hasn’t dropped off. One of his fastballs even reached 93.8 MPH, another encouraging sign.
Wheeler hasn’t pitched in the majors since last season, with his most recent outing coming on August 15. In that game, he allowed two earned runs, one home run, and four hits while striking out six over 5.0 innings. Just days ago, he said he hopes to return to the MLB with the Phillies.
Wheeler’s return could boost Phillies rotation
Without Wheeler, the Phillies’ current rotation is led by Cristopher Sanchez, who has a 1.65 ERA over 16.1 innings in three starts. Aaron Nola follows with a 3.63 ERA. If Wheeler returns, manager Rob Thomson will need to find a way to fit him into the rotation.
“I’m still a little bit off, that’s why you take these starts so you can tinker here and there but not too much… there’s nothing more I can do but get those reps in,” Wheeler said on April 8, when asked by Cory Nidoh about how close he is to returning.
The Phillies have had their share of struggles on the mound, but getting their veteran ace back could provide stability, especially as the team sits at 6-6 and in fourth place in the NL East as of April 10.
