ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Beneath the white block letters of the blue nameplate put in place for Zack Wheeler — mislabeled as “Zach” above the locker set up for him — a white No. 45 jersey with an IronPigs mascot logo on the left sleeve hung inside the home clubhouse at Coca-Cola Park on Wednesday.
Wheeler, the veteran ace of the Philadelphia Phillies, has not thrown a pitch in a competitive game since a blood clot was discovered near his right shoulder in August. But he’ll have a locker waiting at Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Saturday as he begins a minor-league rehab assignment.