The Philadelphia Phillies announced that pitcher Zack Wheeler is going on the 15-day injured list because of a blood clot. According to the team, the blood clot is in the right upper extremity. There is no timetable for Wheeler’s return. Hopefully, this is not a serious blood clot. Aaron Nola is returning from the injured list on August 17 and will presumably fill the open 26-man roster spot. This also means that the Phillies will not be utilizing a six-man rotation following the return of Nola, as was originally planned.
Phillies Place Zack Wheeler On Injured List with Blood Clot
Following today’s game, the Phillies placed right-hander pitcher Zack Wheeler on the 15-day injured list with a Right Upper Extremity Blood Clot.
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) August 16, 2025
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Wheeler has a 10-5 record with a 2.71 ERA in 24 starts this season, along with a 2.98 FIP, a 5.91 K/BB rate, and a 0.94 WHIP. This year, Wheeler has a career-best 33.3% strikeout rate in addition to a 5.6% walk rate. He also has a 1.14 HR/9 allowed rate and a 14.2% HR/FB allowed rate this year. Wheeler has a career best 82.4% left-on-base percentage and 63 ERA- this year. This season, Wheeler has recorded 16 quality starts.
Impact on the Starting Rotation
The absence of Wheeler will mean others in the rotation need to step up. Nola had a slow start to the season and is coming off a stint on the IL himself. Ranger Suárez has struggled as of late after a great start to the year. Meanwhile, Cristopher Sánchez was robbed of an All-Star nod and has had a National League Cy Young Award-worthy season. For his part, Taijuan Walker has stepped up in recent weeks while filling in for Nola. Jesús Luzardo has had an up-and-down season. Across the board, everyone will need to step up to fill the large void in the Phillies’ starting rotation. The Phillies currently hold a five-game lead in the NL East. While this is a big setback for Philadelphia, there is still baseball to be played.
Main Photo Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
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