As of Monday, the Philadelphia Phillies had their full squad in camp for spring training. Now that everyone has officially reported to Clearwater, Florida, there has been plenty of news coming from the sunny backfields and the clubhouse at the Carpenter Complex.
The weekend saw Bryce Harper arrive at camp and, as expected, speak about pretty much everything. From his simmering displeasure with president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski's offseason comments to the WBC to the Los Angeles Dodgers. No stone was left unturned.
There was also the exiled Nick Castellanos finding a new home rather quickly, signing a league minimum deal with the San Diego Padres. Castellanos may have moved on, but he was sure to get a few final parting shots at the Phillies when he showed up to Padres camp in Arizona.
Phillies Spring Training Update: Zack Wheeler getting stronger but yet to take the mound
Manager Rob Thomson gave us an update on Zack Wheeler's status on the holiday Monday, saying that the ace has stretched his throwing distance out to 120 feet, per Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer. It was the first time he had thrown anywhere past 90 feet, but Thomson still doesn't know when Wheeler will start throwing on the mound.
The Phillies are letting Wheeler take his time returning from his surgery for venous thoracic outlet syndrome. As much as they want him in the rotation, they're not rushing him back and are hopeful he can return to the team shortly after Opening Day.
Zack Wheeler threw out to 120 feet for the first time today. Rob Thomson said he doesn't know yet when Wheeler will get back on a mound, but "he's getting there."
— Lochlahn March (@lochlahn) February 16, 2026
In the meantime, the Phillies will go with a five-man unit led by lefties Cristopher Sánchez and Jesús Luzardo along with veterans Aaron Nola and Taijuan Walker. Prospect Andrew Painter is expected to round out the group, so the Phillies will be hoping he shows enough over the coming month to earn an Opening Day job.
Phillies Spring Training Update: Walker Buehler sign minors deal in San Diego
While the Phillies are still fumbling around trying to find starting rotation depth, former Phillies hurler Walker Buehler has signed a minor league deal with the Padres (subscription required), according to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Buehler, 31, only spent the final weeks of the season with the Phillies after signing a minor league contract at the end of August. But the right-hander impressed in his short stint, posting a 0.66 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in 13 2/3 innings across three appearances (two starts).
Now, Phillies fans may be thinking that re-signing Buehler would have gone a long way to helping the Phillies' remarkably thin starting pitching depth. That would be correct. Unfortunately, it sounds like Buehler went to San Diego because he'll get more of a chance to make the rotation, not to mention the SoCal weather, something Philly can't compete with.
Phillies Spring Training Update: Fans can watch every Phillies home Grapefruit League game this year
We're just days away from Grapefruit League action. The Phillies are kicking off their exhibition schedule this coming Saturday with an away game against the Toronto Blue Jays in Dunedin. They'll head back to Clearwater to open their home portion of the schedule on the Sunday against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The good news for Phillies fans is that every home game is televised this spring, with 11 games airing on NBCSP or NBCSP+, while the remaining five can be found on MLB.com.
Here's the complete home schedule:
Sun. Feb. 22 vs. Pirates, 1:05 p.m. ET, NBCSP
Wed. Feb. 25 vs. Tigers, 1:05 p.m. ET, NBCSP
Thu. Feb. 26 vs. Nationals, 1:05 p.m. ET, MLB.com
Fri. Feb. 27 vs. Marlins, 1:05 p.m. ET, NBCSP+
Sun. Mar. 1 vs. Yankees, 1:05 p.m. ET, NBCSP
Wed. Mar. 4 vs. Team Canada, 1:05 p.m. ET, NBCSP
Thu. Mar. 5 vs. Red Sox, 1:05 p.m. ET, NBCSP+
Sat. Mar. 7 vs. Blue Jays, 1:05 p.m. ET, MLB.com
Tue. Mar. 10 vs. Yankees, 1:05 p.m. ET, NBCSP
Thu. Mar. 12 vs. Blue Jays, 1:05 p.m. ET, MLB.com
Fri. Mar. 13 vs. Orioles, 1:05 p.m. ET, NBCSP+
Sun. Mar. 15 vs. Braves, 1:05 p.m. ET, NBCSP
Tue. Mar. 17 vs. Twins, 1:05 p.m. ET, NBCSP
Thu. Mar. 19 vs. Rays, 1:05 p.m. ET, MLB.com
Fri. Mar. 20 vs. Tigers, 1:05 p.m. ET, NBCSP+
Mon. Mar. 23 vs. Rays, 12:05 p.m. ET, MLB.com
We also know who will be in the broadcast booth at BayCare Ballpark for the home opener on Sunday. If you tune in to NBCSP, you'll hear the familiar voices of Tom McCarthy and Ruben Amaro Jr., per Phillies Tailgate on X.