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Philadelphia Phillies star Zack Wheeler was placed on the 15-day wounded list on Saturday night when the team revealed he had a “right upper extremity blood.”
The details of Wheeler’s injury were poor Saturday night.
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Phillies’ Zack Wheeler sits against Boston Red Sox in Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, July 21, 2025. (Eric Hartline/Imag- Pictures)
Dave Dombrowski, Phillies’ president of baseball operations, said there was not much information to give about Wheeler’s problem, but it would be further evaluated in Philadelphia. Paul Buchheit, the team’s athletic coach, said Wheeler experienced “heaviness” in the arm and that doctors were called for properly diagnosing Wheeler.
It is unclear if the coagulates were in an artery or a vein.
Dr. Michael Jacobs, a retired team doctor who previously worked for Baltimore Orioles, explained to Pakinomist Digital on Sunday that no matter where the coagulate is located, it is a dangerous situation for Wheeler to be treated immediately.
“The treatment of these becomes a real problem,” he said. “I’ve treated baseball players who have had this, and sometimes when a small artery gets squeezed or coagulated, they actually just get rid of the artery and your body does ok – they tie it off.
Philadelphia Phillie’s Start Pitcher Zack Wheeler throws to Texas Rangers, Sunday 10 August 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
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“Sometimes, if it’s your axillary artery, they can either try removing the coagulates by basically sending a wired device down there and opening it that a stent would do on people who have heart disease.”
Jacobs said if it’s a vein problem, Wheeler could get the clot light. However, Wheeler would probably have to go on blood thinners if it is successfully cleared.
“The problem is that you can probably try to get back to the place where you want to be # 1, you need to get effective blood thinners to usually 4 to 12 to 12 (weeks) to three months to keep the blood vessels open.
“So if you are on high-blood thinners, we certainly couldn’t clear anyone to play to be on that kind of blood thinner.”
Phillies has not yet said how long Wheeler will be out. The team remembered Aaron Nola for Sunday’s match against Washington Nationals.
Wheeler was an all-star for the third time in his career this season. He has a 2.71 era with a league-leading 195 strikes. He threw 95 seats against nationals on Friday for five laps.
Philadelphia Phillies Pitcher Zack Wheeler against citizens, Friday 15 August 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Daniel Kucin Jr.)
Phillies started Sunday at the top of the National League East – five matches up at the New York Mets.
