Jul 6, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Fans stand for the final out during the ninth inning as Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) pitches a complete game one-hit win against the Cincinnati Reds at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
PHILADELPHIA -- Rob Thomson is always careful not to get too far out ahead of himself when talking about when players are expected to return from injury.
He's going to be extra careful when it comes to Zack Wheeler, not just because of his stature as the ace of the Phillies pitching staff, but the seriousness of rehabbing and returning from thoracic outlet syndrome.
But that doesn't mean he won't drop a few clues.
While nothing is set in stone and ultimately, how Wheeler pitches and feels over a series of rehab starts in the minors will dictate when that return might be, you might want to clear your schedule for mid-April if you want to be at the ballpark for his triumphant return.
Wheeler is slated to make a rehab start for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs Saturday afternoon. The plan is for three innings and in the 45-50 pitch range.
IronPigs are ready for Zack Wheeler. pic.twitter.com/5fNFtzrH0h
That was known already. What wasn't known was what was next.
Thomson let those cats out of the bag prior to Saturday's game against the Texas Rangers.
He announced that Wheeler will travel with the IronPigs to Durham, N.C. next week and make a start Friday against the Bulls.
The following week, he will make a rehab start at Double-A Reading.
The belief all along was that Wheeler would need four rehab starts. The schedule outlined above marks three of them.
But he also pitched a simulated game against Phillies minor leaguers on a back field in Clearwater last week. Does that one count as a start?
"Because it was a backfield start the other day it's kind of almost a start," Thomson said.
So a half a start, Rob?
"Yeah, a half a start," he said.
That means if you round up, as we were all taught to do in elementary mathematics, you count it as a start, and he needs four before he would return, you could see Wheeler pitching for the Phillies the week of April 12, likely either the end of the series against the Chicago Cubs or the start of the series against the Atlanta Braves.
Which means he would only miss three turns through the rotation, which would be a pretty remarkable outcome, all things considered.
Of course, Wheeler will be the ultimate determining factor. How he feels and where his velocity and stuff are at after a few rehab starts will determine if he needs one more after that or if he can, in fact, be back far sooner than anyone could have expected.
But, if you read the tea leaves, there's reason to be cautiously optimistic.
The Texas Rangers scratched starting pitcher Jacob deGrom on Saturday morning after the veteran pitcher complained of neck stiffness.
In his place, the Rangers turned to lefty Jacob Latz.
The Rangers alerted the Phillies to the change early on Saturday, giving the team time to change their lineup plans, if they wanted to do so.
Thomson met with his coaching staff and they decided not to make a change, and are rolling with the same lineup they used on Opening Day, rather than inserting either Edmundo Sosa or Otto Kemp -- or both -- into the starting lineup in place of Bryson Stott or Brandon Marsh.
Thomson said they thought about it, but ultimately decided not to make a change, for multiple reasons.
"We're going to get three lefties in a row, here and with the day off yesterday, I didn't want those left-handed hitters going four days in a row without playing, so I figured today was probably the best day," Thomson said.
That was reason number one, as the Phillies are scheduled to face Mackenzie Gore in the series finale on Sunday and then Foster Griffin in the opener of the series against Washington on Monday.
But there was more to the decision than just that.
"They've stretched him out to 60 pitches, from what we can tell," Thomson said of Latz. "But he threw 19 pitches, or something like that, three days ago, so I'm not really sure how they are going to use him."
Thomson is betting that Latz won't go long in the game and that the Phillies will get into the Rangers bullpen early. Texas does have three lefty relievers, although two of them appeared in the opener of the series, not that that would prevent them from being used again Saturday after an off day on Friday, but they likely wouldn't want to use them in all three games, so they may be more judicious with them.
With the way Bryson Stott has been swinging the bat all through Spring Training and with a pair of hits on Thursday, it's understandable why Thomson would keep him in the lineup.
Brandon Marsh had an excellent first game as well with a pair of doubles, but he has never hit lefties well, so that's the one that seems most curious, although, again, the strategy could be that they think he will only get one at bat against Latz out of the No, 7 hole before Texas goes to the bullpen, so it could be a worthwhile gamble.
When Tanner Banks arrived at Spring Training back in February, he was walking around the complex at Baycare Ballpark and saw one of the banners hanging up with his photo on it.
"I was like, "Wow, I finally made it," Banks said.
But it didn't prepare him for what was coming when he came north.
In the tunnel that leads from the Phillies clubhouse to the field at Citizens Bank Park, there are giant, wall wrappings with huge images of Phillies players that line the path.
All the guys you would expect to be there are there -- Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Cristopher Sanchez, Jhoan Duran -- and just past the left turn where players can walk to the batting cage, there's Banks.
"It's larger than life-size," he said.
It being there is a testament to how well he pitched for the Phillies last year, and how he's viewed as a big part of the bullpen this year.
But it's also a bit surreal for a guy who didn't reach the majors until he turned 30.
"Now I have to earn it being there," Banks said. "Not just because of how I pitched last year, but for what I have to do this year, too."
Banks will walk past it every day and it will be a motivator.
⚾ Thomson said that the colder and windier temperatures Saturday -- a far cry from the beautiful setting of the opener just 48 hours earlier -- isn't an advantage for either hitters or pitchers, but said the balls are a little more slick in cold weather, which could affect pitchers more. Either way, he said the weather impacts every player differently, noting that being Canadian, like he is, might mean the weather is less of an issue than if a player is from somewhere else.
It’s 40 and windy for a March game at Citizens Bank Park.
Rob Thomson talked about how the baseballs get slick in cold weather and how it affects hitters and pitchers differently.
“I think it depends on the guy. It depends on if you’re from Canada or some place else.” pic.twitter.com/ZR3OMHAMC8
⚾ Orion Kerkering will also throw a rehab inning for Lehigh Valley on Saturday. The plan for him is to throw back-to-back games for the IronPigs on Tuesday and Wednesday, but that will be dictated by how many pitches he throws on Tuesday.
⚾ Garrett Stubbs cleared waivers on Saturday, so he remains with the Phillies organization. He was outrighted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
⚾Justin Crawford said he feels more relaxed now that he got his first game out of the way. It was an impressive debut with two hits, but there was a lot more anxiety about it because it was the debut. "Now, it's just baseball," he said.
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