Overview
- Wheeler, in his second rehab outing Friday for Triple-A Lehigh Valley, gave up five runs over three innings with 49 pitches and only 26 strikes as his four-seam fastball averaged 92.7 mph and topped at 93.9.
- Philadelphia has set at least one more Triple-A start this week for the right-hander, and the club will decide after that whether to activate him or schedule another rehab game.
- Manager Rob Thomson and president Dave Dombrowski downplayed alarm over the dip in velocity, with Dombrowski saying the speed should build and that Wheeler can still be effective even if it takes time.
- Wheeler is returning from venous thoracic outlet surgery to remove a blood clot, a procedure that often requires step-by-step increases in pitch counts and innings before teams sign off on a starter’s stamina and command.
- The Phillies are targeting an April timetable barring setbacks, and they will track fastball speed, strike rate, and how deep he works in outings to time his move back to a rotation that could get a clear lift when he is ready.