Things looked very bleak for the Philadelphia Phillies after it was announced that their ace Zack Wheeler would miss the rest of the 2025 season. He finished 2025 with a 10-5 record, 2.71 ERA, 0.935 WHIP and 195 strikeouts over 149 2/3 innings pitched. His diagnosis of venous thoracic outlet syndrome was devastating, but his teammates in the starting rotation have collectively done their best impression of Wheeler to pick him up after he landed on the injured list.
The left-handers on the team have played like aces of their own since Wheeler's diagnosis.