Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler was placed on the injured list with a blood clot in his right upper extremity, team president of baseball operations David Dombrowski said Saturday following a 2-0 loss to the Nationals.
Wheeler threw five innings against Washington on Friday in a no decision, recording 97 pitches with 62 strikes. Head athletic trainer Paul Buchheit said Wheeler reported “a little heaviness” in his right shoulder after the game.
“Zack had been feeling better after his right shoulder soreness,” Buchheit said. “But yesterday, some symptoms had changed. Doctors were great in helping to diagnose and expedite that diagnosis this morning.”
Dombrowski confirmed Wheeler will be checked early this week by doctors in Philadelphia. “I commend Paul and the doctors here to find this because it could have been a much more trying situation than what it is,” he said.
The Phillies will move Wheeler to the IL and activate Aaron Nola to start Sunday’s finale. A 40-man roster adjustment will be made before the game but has not been disclosed.
Manager Rob Thomson said the rotation depth allows the club to cover Wheeler’s absence but stressed the priority is his health. “We don’t know the timeline,” Thomson said. “I’m thinking a lot about Zack and his family because this is not a hamstring injury or something like that.”
In Saturday’s loss, Taijuan Walker pitched 6 2/3 innings and allowed two runs, later noting the team’s concern for Wheeler. “I texted him a little bit this morning,” Walker said. “Obviously scary. [This loss today] doesn’t mean anything. Obviously, we are praying for him. Trying to keep in contact with him. I know he knows we are all here for him, we love him.”
Wheeler has posted a 10-5 record with a 2.71 ERA in 24 starts, covering 149 2/3 innings with 195 strikeouts. Since his complete game against the Reds on July 6, he had faced setbacks, including a start delayed two days due to shoulder soreness.
Kyle Schwarber said he realized something unusual when Wheeler was not in the clubhouse Saturday. “We heard some rumblings,” Schwarber said. “When we got to the field, he wasn’t here. I made sure [to shoot] him a text. Sounded like [he] was getting the tests done.
“It’s a scary situation, right? Anytime that you hear anything that visceral like if it’s a blood clot, that is scary stuff. I want to get him back in here and hear from him and hopefully it’s not going to be too serious. Baseball is baseball. When it comes to someone’s health we need him healthy first. He’s got a family. We want to get him feeling good for them and then get him back to speed whenever we can.”
