Wheeler's Rehab: Phillies Ace Nearing Return

0:00It's April 9th, from first pitch to the final out. This is MLB News Today, powered by AI. I'm Cory with the story. Zach Willidge is logged his third rehab star for the Phillies in Triple A Lehigh Valley on Wednesday night. He tossed four and one-third innings against Rochester, allowing three hits, one run, and one walk on 61 pitches while fanning six. His four-seam fastball sat at 92.9 miles per hour on average and touched 94.3. The Phillies planned to give him at least one more outing before he returns. In his second rehab appearance last Friday, Wheeler averaged 92.7 with a high of 93.9 over three innings and 49 pitches versus Toledo. His first one back on March 28th hit 94.3 max and 93.3 average across three frames on 38. Pitches at Durham. Fans in the team are watching his velocity closely after last season's 96.1 average got

1:00cut short in August by a blood clot near his. Right shoulder. That led to the rassic outlet decompression surgery in September, and he's been grinding through recovery ever since. He's dropped 10 pounds since the operation and hasn't packed him back on yet, which could be dragging down his speed for now. Still, Wheeler says he feels solid and the Phillies aren't sweating it. They trust his progress. With another start lined up, Wheeler's on track to rejoin the rotation soon, bringing that ace energy back to Phillies' mound.