Zack Wheeler underwent surgery at the end of September for venous thoracic outlet syndrome. It was a shocking development, as Wheeler was on pace for another run at the NL Cy Young Award in 2025.
He finished his season prematurely with a 10-5 record, 2.71 ERA and 195 strikeouts in 149 2/3 innings. The injury cut his season short, and in turn, shortchanged the Philadelphia Phillies' postseason chances.
Wheeler’s timeframe for a return is six to eight months from the procedure. That puts him back on the mound around May. There's a lot of recovery that will go into the offseason for Wheeler, with still an unknown of how it will go.
Recently acquired right-hander Brad Keller may not be the same type of pitcher as Wheeler, but he underwent the same procedure just two years prior. He also offered some optimism for Wheeler's return to dominance in MLB.
As Zack Wheeler comes back from TOS, Brad Keller’s experience should provide some optimism for the Phillies
Keller was acquired by the Phillies in free agency a few weeks ago on a two-year deal. Keller used to be a starter before transitioning to the bullpen before the 2023 season. He felt similar things that Wheeler had been experiencing and also shed some light on specifics like the loss of blood flow, per MLB.com's Todd Zolecki.
“I had more of vascular, as well,” Keller said, per Zolecki. “My hand would swell up a lot. My hand would go white, like pale. There’s just no blood flow. There was some nerve-y issue, but I always think there’s a little variance of both when it comes in. Mine was mostly the vascular, where it just felt like my whole arm was super swollen. I felt like I couldn’t hold onto the baseball.”
Keller underwent the procedure in October of 2023 with the same question of whether he could return to form as a major leaguer. Keller returned to action at the end of April in 2024, sitting around 90 mph, a dip from his previous season average of 93.3 mph. Just a few months later, Keller was back and seemingly better than ever.
“I really didn’t start feeling like myself until the All-Star break [in 2024],” Keller said, per Zolecki. “Granted, I kind of rushed my rehab because I had surgery in the offseason, and I was a free agent that year. I really tried to be with a team and finish rehab with a team. My first couple outings that year [with the White Sox], I was sitting 90 mph.”
By the All-Star break, Keller was sitting at 96 mph, and getting a sizable MLB deal just two offseasons later. Now he will sit in the same clubhouse with the club's ace going through the same doubts.
Perhaps Keller can be an inspiration to Wheeler to help him come back even earlier than he did. Keller finished the 2024 season with a 4.86 ERA, but with a better handle on his future. He put it all together in 2025, with a 2.07 ERA and an average of 97.2 mph on his fastball.
The expectation is that Wheeler will need some time to get back into his groove, and Keller's results prove that it's entirely possible to see that dominant ace back on the mound after all.