Philadelphia Phillies star Zack Wheeler needs another operation after undergoing a procdure last week to remove a blood clot from his right shoulder.
Wheeler, a right-arm pitcher, has officially been diagnosed with venous thoracic outlet syndrome – a compression of a major vein in the arm – and his second procedure is going to take up to eight months for the 35-year-old to recover. He will miss the rest of the 2025 baseball season.
His Phillies team said in a statement on Saturday: ‘Zack Wheeler had a follow-up evaluation and received second opinions this week after his successful right upper extremity blood clot removal on Monday, August 18.
‘Wheeler was diagnosed with venous thoracic outlet syndrome and the recommendation is to undergo thoracic outlet decompression surgery in the coming weeks. Details of the surgery are forthcoming.
‘The timeline of recovery from the surgery is generally 6-8 months.’
Last Sunday, Wheeler’s teammate Taijuan Walker said there was concern in the clubhouse over the pitcher’s wellbeing.
‘It’s obviously scary,’ Walker said, ‘Obviously, we’re praying for him, trying to keep in contact with him. But I know that he knows we’re all here for him.’
From what the Phillies said last week, it sounds as if Wheeler is lucky his condition didn’t develop into something even more alarming.
Phillies GM Dave Dombrowski told reporters last week: ‘I commend [head athletic trainer) Paul Buchheit and the doctors for finding this because it could’ve been a much more trying situation than what it is.’
Wheeler has been enjoying a late-career renaissance with the Phillies since December 2019 and is a three-time All-Star, including each of the last two seasons.
One of the standout pitchers for the Phillies, his long-term absence could threaten to derail what, up to now, where shaping up to be World Series aspirations for the team.
