March 7, 2026; Clearwater, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler throws a bullpen session as he recovers from thoracic outlet syndrome. (Grace Del Pizzo/On Pattison) John Del Pizzo
CLEARWATER, Fla. – The sun shone down on Saturday morning as scores of Phillies fans watched Zack Wheeler throw a bullpen session.
When the Phillies' ace departed the mound, those fans showered him with a healthy round of applause. Wheeler's fourth bullpen of the spring was yet another small, but necessary, step in his recovery process from thoracic outlet syndrome.
"I felt good," Wheeler said about his bullpen session. "Felt strong. Better than the past few. Good."
The sweet sights and sounds of Zack Wheeler pitching in Clearwater🌴⚾️
(via @GraceDelPizzo) pic.twitter.com/N1ef4B6PCz
Wheeler told OnPattison that his recovery is progressing as planned.
"So far, so good. On schedule," Wheeler said. "The biggest thing is to stay on schedule so I can get back and get out there."
The nature of Wheeler's injury means a lot is up in the air. He was first diagnosed with a right upper extremity blood clot in August 2025, and after that was successfully removed, Wheeler was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome. He underwent thoracic outlet depression surgery on Sept. 23. Since then, Wheeler has been working his way back, slowly but surely.
"It's been pretty smooth," Wheeler said of his recovery. "You're just getting through the aches and pains early on, and then getting through the range of motion stuff, getting your range of motion back, and the tightness and all that. Other than that, it's been pretty smooth and pretty normal."
The Phillies confirmed early on that Wheeler will not be ready for Opening Day. Rushing his return could do more harm than good, especially as the pitcher enters his age-36 season.
Wheeler couldn't say for sure when he will return to action, but he confirmed that as far as the Phillies' timeline, he's still "on track."
Even in the midst of his recovery, he's remained around the team as much as he would in any other Spring Training.
"It's pretty normal to be here and be around the guys," Wheeler said. "It's Spring Training for everybody, so everybody's kind of doing their own thing, getting their bodies right, getting their swings down and their mechanics off the mound.
"So it's pretty normal for the most part. I'm a little behind everybody, so I'm kind of watching everybody else trend, and everybody looks pretty good so far."
Wheeler's locker in the clubhouse is two doors down from top pitching prospect Andrew Painter's locker. Painter is situated near Wheeler and Taijuan Walker as he presumably prepares to make his big league debut this season. As of Saturday morning, Wheeler hadn't yet had the chance to watch Painter pitch in a Grapefruit League game, but he's liked what he's seen from the 22-year-old.
"(Painter's) bullpens look great, and he looks nice and strong. He's throwing strikes," Wheeler said.
"We're excited to see him."
