Zack Wheeler Not Expected to Be Ready by Opening Day

The Philadelphia Phillies do not expect ace Zack Wheeler to be ready by Opening Day. Manager Rob Thomson confirmed as much on Monday afternoon as Wheeler continues rehab from his Sept. 23 thoracic outlet decompression surgery.

Timeline

The Phillies said the expected recovery window was six to eight months from the date of surgery—putting a return between late March and late May. Thomson said Wheeler threw this past weekend and it "went very good," and the club is hopeful he'll be back closer to the front of that window. They will not rush the 35-year-old, who has been their Opening Day starter each of the past two seasons.

Who Starts Opening Day?

Cristopher Sánchez—the reigning National League Cy Young runner-up—becomes the obvious favorite to get the Opening Day start when the Phillies host the Rangers on March 26 at Citizens Bank Park. Beyond Sánchez, the rotation figures to include Jesús Luzardo, Aaron Nola, Taijuan Walker, and top pitching prospect Andrew Painter.

Painter, 22, returned from Tommy John surgery in 2025 and posted a 5.26 ERA in 26 starts between Triple-A and Single-A. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said adding rotation depth remains a priority, and the club still hopes to trade outfielder Nick Castellanos before camp.

Wheeler is 69-37 with a 2.91 ERA in six seasons with the Phillies, with 1,094 strikeouts in 979 innings and a 2.18 ERA in 12 postseason outings.

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*Sources: MLB.com – Zack Wheeler not ready by Opening Day. Fact-checked February 10, 2026.*