CLEARWATER, Fla. — Much has been said and written about Zack Wheeler over the last half year. None of it came from him. Wednesday, he spoke publicly for the first time since a pair of surgeries prematurely ended his 2025 season.
Here's a sampling of what one of the best pitchers in Phillies history had to say on a variety of topics.
"It is encouraging, kinda the progress so far. You kinda don't know what to expect as you're moving along. I'm sure there's speed bumps that you're gonna hit along the way with any surgery or recovery. You just take it day-by-day, things as they come and go. I'm just trying to hit my checkmarks that me and [head athletic trainer] Paul [Buchheit] and the club have come up with. So far, so good with that. I'm really just trying to make sure the arm strength is there with every phase we kind of get to, and move on to the next one. So far, so good."
Zack Wheeler on how he’s feeling
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Many wondered whether Wheeler would consider retirement following the blood clot in his right upper extremity initially sidelined him in August. Did Wheeler — who ultimately had it surgically removed — wonder whether he would make it back to the mound at that time?
"No," Wheeler said. "I think any athlete, you have surgery, you're optimistic about it. You always have that good mindset that you're gonna come back and be the same performer that you were. That was kinda my mindset the whole time, was 'I'm gonna be back to where I was.' And I think that's the right mindset to have."
Zack Wheeler said even after his blood clot was discovered, he always thought he would pitch again.
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— OnPattison (@OnPattison) February 11, 2026
There's no transcribing or explaining needed here. This is one you need to hear Wheeler explain himself.
Zack Wheeler kept his rib that he had removed during thoracic outlet decompression surgery. It’s in his closet at his house.
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Wheeler has stated on multiple occasions that he plans to retire at the conclusion of his three-year/$126 million deal, which runs through the 2027 season. The 35-year-old was asked Wednesday if those plans have at all been altered.
"No, not necessarily," Wheeler said. "We'll just kinda see how it goes over the next couple years, and go from there. It really hasn't been a thought in my head, like this surgery would make me stop or anything. Obviously, I have a contract to fulfill, and I wanna be here and I wanna pitch. I love competing, especially with this group of guys in this city. We've been chasing after a World Series over the past four or five years, and we all wanna get one. So I just wanna be able to get back and try to help us get one."
Suárez — who was a teammate of Wheeler's for six seasons — moved on last month to sign a five-year/$130 million contract with the Boston Red Sox. Wheeler was asked about that, plus the possibility of top prospect Andrew Painter to make his long-awaited debut early in 2026.
"Ranger will be missed for sure," Wheeler acknowledged. "He's a competitor. He was an awesome locker room guy, we loved having him here. He's a good laugh. He performed well in season, especially in the postseason. So, that's gonna be missed.
"But we're excited about what we have with our staff here, and the possibility of Andrew starting out," Wheeler said. "So yeah, we're all excited."
Since the minute he put on red pinstripes, Wheeler has been as big of a fan of Realmuto as anyone. So while Phillies fans had mixed emotions on Realmuto re-signing for three years and $45 million — particularly because it came after Bo Bichette spurned them for the New York Mets — Wheeler was very happy to see that he was returning.
"It's very exciting to have him back," Wheeler said. "Obviously, that was big for us as a starting pitching group, relievers and starters. He's big for us, he calls a lot of our games for us, especially for me. Just having him back, having that comfortable feeling back there when I do get back, is gonna be nice."
