Zack Wheeler’s return was supposed to come with some understandable hesitation. Instead, Wheeler has already given the Philadelphia Phillies a pretty clear answer. He underwent decompression surgery last year after a venous thoracic outlet syndrome diagnosis, so the question was never just when he would return. It was what version of him would come back.
Until Wheeler got back on a major league mound and looked like himself, there was always going to be some uncomfortable unknown baked into Philadelphia’s season.
Wheeler has opened his 2026 season with a 3-0 record, a 1.99 ERA, a 0.88 WHIP and 30 strikeouts across 31 2/3 innings, and the Phillies are already getting the rotation stability they hoped would come with time. Against the Pittsburgh Pirates, he made it look even more convincing with seven scoreless innings, four hits allowed and eight strikeouts in a 6-0 win over Paul Skenes.
"Zack Wheeler is back in a BIG way..."
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) May 18, 2026
DeRo dives in on the @Phillies RHP's dominant start against the Pirates, lowering his season ERA to 1.99 through his first five starts. pic.twitter.com/S7BZDWfmgT
Zack Wheeler is making the Phillies’ biggest fear look smaller by the start
The Phillies entered the season with real questions about Wheeler because this was not a normal injury comeback. Thoracic outlet surgery brings a different level of uncertainty, especially for a pitcher who has been counted on for both dominance and volume. Getting Wheeler back was only part of it. The bigger test was whether he could still pitch like the ace the Phillies have built around.
Because when Wheeler is this version of himself, everything else in Philadelphia’s rotation gets slotted into a more comfortable place, and they can operate from a place of strength again.
That’s where Cristopher Sánchez enters the conversation.
Sánchez has been ridiculous since Wheeler’s debut, throwing 30 2/3 innings with a 0.59 ERA and a 0.75 WHIP. Alongside Wheeler’s numbers, that’s a combined stretch that should make the rest of the National League uncomfortable.
Sánchez has earned more than a passing mention here. He has become a legitimate force, and pairing his left-handed dominance with Wheeler’s ace-level stability gives the Phillies a front of the rotation that can hold up anywhere.
Wheeler still has to be the focus here because his return has helped give the Phillies’ turnaround some shape. They were searching for stability before he came back. Since then, they have looked much closer to the team they expected to be.
Before Wheeler came back, Philadelphia was 8-18 and already carrying that familiar early-season weight where every loss felt like it was turning into a referendum on the whole operation. Since his return, the Phillies have gone 17-5. That doesn’t imply that Wheeler fixed everything by himself. The managerial change matters, too. Moving on from Rob Thomson and letting Don Mattingly run the team gave the Phillies a different voice and a chance to reset before the season slipped too far away.
There was a version of this season where Wheeler's comeback was going to be measured carefully, start by start, with every dip in velocity or shorter outing turning into a new concern. Instead, Wheeler has made that concern feel dated. He has stepped back into the rotation and immediately given the Phillies the kind of order only a true ace can provide. They can look at the record, the stat line and the way the team has played since he returned and admit what is obvious.
Wheeler is back, and the Phillies look different because of it.
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