The one thing that the Philadelphia Phillies couldn't afford during the 2025 season was the loss of their ace Zack Wheeler. Wheeler underwent season-ending thoracic outlet syndrome surgery in September, putting a massive damper on the club's playoff prospects.
While his season was done early, at least now Wheeler's timeline to come back in 2026 and lead the rotation once again appears to be clearer after the Phillies' year-end press conference on Thursday.
The initial timeline given in the summer was 6-8 months, but it was unclear if that was just the recovery time Wheeler would need to begin ramping up to baseball activities and getting back to MLB competition.