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Phillies' Zack Wheeler: Fans eight to pick up first win
Rotowire
Wheeler (1-0) earned the win Friday against the Marlins, allowing one run on three hits and two walks with eight strikeouts across six innings.
After throwing 84 pitches in his 2026 debut last weekend against Atlanta, Wheeler got up to 94 pitches Friday and generated 14 whiffs. His stuff looked good, but Wheeler's velocity was noticeably down again versus Miami, as he averaged 93.6 mph with his fastball after throwing it 96.1 mph in 2025 and 94.7 mph last Saturday. The soon-to-be 36-year-old may still be building up his arm following last season's shoulder issue. Through two starts, Wheeler has posted a 2.45 ERA and 14:5 K:BB across 11 innings. He is lined up to face the Athletics at home next week.
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Phillies' Zack Wheeler: Fans six in 2026 debut
Rotowire
Wheeler allowed two runs on three hits and three walks while striking out six batters over five innings in a no-decision against Atlanta on Saturday.
Wheeler was activated from the injured list early Saturday and made his first MLB start since mid-August of last year. The veteran righty tossed 84 pitches (56 strikes) and looked dominant at times with 15 whiffs, though he also walked three batters and gave up a pair of runs in the fourth frame. Overall, this was a nice first outing for Wheeler, who gave up four runs over four frames in his final minor-league rehab start with Double-A Reading. His next appearance is lined up to be a road tilt in Miami.
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Phillies' Zack Wheeler: Officially activated ahead of start
Rotowire
The Phillies returned Wheeler (shoulder) from his rehab assignment and activated him from the 15-day injured list Saturday.
Wheeler spent the early portion of the campaign in the minors rehabbing from surgery to address venous thoracic outlet syndrome. He was shaky during the five-game rehab stint, posting a 5.85 ERA and 1.20 WHIP over 20 innings, though that came with an impressive 23:5 K:BB. Wheeler is set to make his first MLB start of 2026 -- and first big-league appearance since Aug. 15 of last year -- Saturday in Atlanta.
Wheeler (shoulder) will be reinstated from the 15-day injured list to start Saturday in Atlanta, Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Wheeler made his fifth and final rehab start Sunday with Double-A Reading, throwing 77 pitches while allowing four runs across four innings. The veteran right-hander's performance was up-and-down during the rehab stint, as he finished with a 5.85 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 23:5 K:BB over 20 frames. Now fully recovered from surgery to address venous thoracic outlet syndrome, Wheeler should be able to handle a mostly normal workload in his first start of the season Saturday.
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Phillies' Andrew Painter: Goes four innings in loss
Rotowire
Painter (1-1) allowed three runs on five hits, a walk and a hit batsman while striking out four over four-plus innings, taking the loss Sunday versus Atlanta.
Painter fell short of the five-inning mark for the second time in four appearances this season. The 23-year-old right-hander limited the damage to a Michael Harris solo shot through four innings, but he put traffic on the bases in the fifth, and Tim Mayza allowed both inherited runners to score. That ended up being enough to stick Painter with his first big-league loss. He's pitched to a 4.42 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 20:4 K:BB across 18.1 innings. Zack Wheeler (shoulder) is close to making his season debut, and it's not yet clear if that will cost Painter his rotation spot, though Taijuan Walker's struggles could lead to him being the odd man out. Should Painter stay in the rotation, he is tentatively lined up for a rematch on the road in Atlanta.
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Phillies' Zack Wheeler: On cusp of '26 debut
Rotowire
Wheeler (shoulder) struck out four and allowed four earned runs on six hits and one walk across four innings Sunday in his rehab start with Double-A Reading.
After working 5.2 innings and posting a 9:0 K:BB in his previous appearance for Reading on Tuesday, Wheeler took a step back with his command and control Sunday. He spotted 48 of his 77 pitches for strikes and yielded a solo home run and a three-run blast, bringing his ERA up to 5.85 and his WHIP to 1.20 over his five rehab starts between Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Though his results haven't been as strong as the Phillies might have hoped, Wheeler has been able to progressively build up his pitch counts and looks ready to handle a typical starter's workload in his next outing, which is expected to come with the big club. Wheeler tentatively lines up to return from the 15-day injured list to make his 2026 Phillies debut during next weekend's series in Atlanta.
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Phillies' Taijuan Walker: Following opener in next outing
Rotowire
Walker will work in bulk relief behind an opener during his next turn through the rotation Wednesday against the Cubs, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.
The veteran right-hander has surrendered 19 earned runs across 18.1 frames in his first four starts of the season, so the Phillies will attempt to limit his exposure to the top of Chicago's lineup Wednesday. Regardless of his role, Walker will have minimal streaming appeal while going up against a Cubs offense that is averaging more than eight runs scored over the past six games. The Phillies are expected to get Zack Wheeler (shoulder) back from the injured list later next week, so Walker may not be in line for any starts or planned bulk-relief appearances for a while after Wednesday's outing.
Phillies' Taijuan Walker: Hit hard in Friday's loss
Rotowire
Walker (1-3) took the loss Friday as the Phillies were routed 9-0 by Atlanta, coughing up seven runs on seven hits and three walks over four innings. He struck out four.
The right-hander served up homers to Austin Riley in the second inning and Dominic Smith in the third, the second time in four starts that Walker has been taken deep multiple times. It's been a brutal beginning to the year for the 33-year-old, and he carries a 9.16 ERA, 2.04 WHIP and 16:10 K:BB through 18.2 innings. Zack Wheeler (shoulder) will make what could be his final rehab start Sunday, but that schedule would allow Walker to get one more turn through the rotation on the road next week against the Cubs before being replaced.
Phillies' Zack Wheeler: Looks sharper in fourth rehab start
Rotowire
Wheeler (shoulder) struck out nine and allowed four hits and no walks while allowing three runs in 5.2 innings during his fourth rehab start with Double-A Reading on Tuesday.
Wheeler built himself up to 72 pitches Tuesday, an encouraging sign during the final stages of his rehab from last year's venous thoracic outlet syndrome surgery. The right-hander is next slated to make a fifth and perhaps final rehab appearance with Reading on Sunday. Manager Rob Thomson did note Tuesday that Wheeler could make a sixth rehab start, per Todd Zolecki of MLB.com, depending on how the hurler fares in his outing Sunday.
Phillies' Zack Wheeler: Next rehab start coming Sunday
Rotowire
Wheeler (shoulder) said he plans to make another rehab start with Double-A Reading on Sunday, Matt Kardos of Double-A Somerset's official site reports.
Wheeler has already made three starts in the minors as he works his way back from shoulder surgery, posting a 5.23 ERA and 1.26 WHIP alongside a 10:4 K:BB over 10.1 innings. The veteran righty notably struggled with his velocity during his most recent outing with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, averaging 92.9 mph with his fastball after sitting at 96.1 mph last season. It remains to be seen whether he'll make any additional appearances in the minors after Sunday, though the Phillies will likely wait to see how he performs in Double-A before determining his next step.
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