Despite losing their ace, the Phillies remain a World Series favorite.
This past weekend brought the confirmation everyone in Philadelphia had been bracing themselves for regarding Zack Wheeler’s 2025 season. The Phillies’ ace, the rock at the top of their rotation, will not throw another pitch this year.
The team announced that Wheeler has been diagnosed with venous thoracic outlet syndrome, a condition that requires him to undergo thoracic outlet decompression surgery. The recovery timeline for such a procedure is lengthy—six to eight months—which means the earliest realistic expectation for his return falls somewhere between mid-February and mid-April of 2026. For anyone holding out hope that Wheeler might make some sort of heroic late-season or postseason comeback, those dreams were officially put to rest. The Phillies are moving forward without their No. 1 starter.
That is no small loss. Wheeler has been nothing short of dominant since arriving in Philadelphia in 2020, and his postseason résumé underscores just how irreplaceable he is. Across 11 playoff starts, covering 70.1 innings, he has a microscopic 2.18 ERA paired with a WHIP of just 0.725. He has been, by any measure, one of the very best pitchers in baseball over the last half-decade and arguably the best in October. To try to win a championship without him feels like asking the Sixers to play without Joel Embiid or the Eagles to play without Jalen Hurts—it fundamentally changes the way the team is built.
And yet, baseball is a long season, and teams either crumble under the weight of adversity or rally around it. Since the first word of Wheeler’s blood clot issues, Philadelphia has done the latter. The Phillies have gone 6-1 since the initial announcement, taking the final game of a four-game set against the Nationals, sweeping the Mariners in impressive fashion, and then winning two of three against Washington again at Citizens Bank Park. That surge has them heading into a crucial three-game series against the Mets at Citi Field with a commanding seven-game lead in the NL East, despite Citi Field traditionally being a nightmare venue for them in recent years.
In other words, the Phillies are showing us exactly how they still intend to chase and capture a World Series title, even without Wheeler. And there are plenty of reasons—ten, to be exact—why this team still has the talent, depth, and firepower to get it done.
Another Ace Emerges
Losing Wheeler means losing the luxury of pairing him with Cristopher Sánchez in a deadly right-left combo at the top of a postseason rotation. That would have terrified opponents. But make no mistake—Sánchez is fully capable of being the staff’s ace in October. He may not snag a Cy Young Award, but he’s pitched well enough to deserve a runner-up spot. With a 2.46 ERA across 25 starts spanning 157 innings and ranking second in the NL in fWAR (4.7), Sánchez is positioned as arguably the best starter in the NL playoff field. Phillies fans don’t need a long data dump to be convinced; he’s been building toward this moment steadily for three years and looks every bit ready to be the Game 1 guy.
A Deep Rotation to Back Him Up
Just as important as Sánchez’s rise has been the resurgence of Ranger Suárez and Jesús Luzardo. Suárez, who has always had postseason heroics in him, has been lights-out in his recent outings, including seven shutout innings with 11 strikeouts against Washington. Luzardo, meanwhile, has ridden a roller coaster but has come out hot again, striking out 12 Mariners in six dominant innings last week. His fWAR ranks him in MLB’s top 10 despite the inconsistencies.
Add Aaron Nola, whose velocity ticked up in his second start off the injured list, and steady veteran Taijuan Walker, who owns a 3.44 ERA over nearly 100 innings, and suddenly the Phillies’ rotation doesn’t look like one scrambling to cover for its ace—it looks like one of the deepest groups in the playoff field.
Two Legit MVP Candidates
The Phillies also happen to employ two hitters pushing Shohei Ohtani in the MVP race. Trea Turner has been on fire, raising his season line to .300/.354/.449 with 32 steals while playing excellent defense at short.
Kyle Schwarber, meanwhile, remains tied with Ohtani for the league lead in home runs at 45 and has driven in an NL-best 109 runs. Add in Bryce Harper, who’s rediscovered his power stroke with 11 second-half homers and another strong postseason pedigree, and you’ve got a lineup with multiple superstars who can change a game with one swing.
A True Ninth-Inning Stopper
Closer Jhoan Duran hasn’t been perfect—his first blown save as a Phillie came last Friday—but the overall body of work is impressive. He has converted seven of eight save chances since arriving, and his stuff is electric enough to dominate playoff lineups. For the first time in several years, the Phillies can head into October with a true shutdown option in the ninth inning, a luxury they didn’t have during their last few postseason runs.
Tanner Scott and the Bullpen Brigade
Beyond Duran, the bullpen as a whole has been lights-out. Tanner Banks has emerged as perhaps the biggest surprise, lowering his ERA to 2.88 in 56 innings while excelling in high-leverage spots, particularly against lefties. With José Alvarado sidelined, Banks has stepped into the fire and delivered. Between him, Duran, and other strong second-half performers, the relief corps looks capable of holding leads deep into October.
Bryson Stott’s Resurgence
After tweaking his stance, Bryson Stott looks like a new hitter. His August numbers—.339 average, .978 OPS, and excellent gap-to-gap power—have given the Phillies a major boost at the bottom half of the lineup. This is the Stott who looked like a future All-Star two years ago, and if he keeps it up, Philadelphia’s batting order becomes a nightmare for opposing pitchers.
J.T. Realmuto’s Hot Bat
The veteran catcher has rediscovered his swing as well, slugging the ball with authority over the past few weeks. If he can stay this hot, the Phillies will suddenly have a middle-of-the-order bat clicking at exactly the right time.
No True National League Juggernaut
Across the league, none of the Phillies’ potential postseason opponents appear overwhelming. The Brewers have cooled off after their big winning streak. The Dodgers are battered by pitching injuries and uneven performances. The Padres and Mets have their flaws, and the Cubs and Reds are scrappy but not complete. By comparison, Philadelphia is arguably the most well-rounded team in the National League.
A Favorable Playoff Schedule
Thanks to an extra off-day in this year’s Division Series format, the Phillies could survive with just three starters, giving them flexibility with their rotation and bullpen usage. Avoiding the Wild Card round entirely remains the goal, but the schedule lines up nicely to play to their strengths once October begins.
Hunger and Intangibles
Finally, there’s the intangible factor. Wheeler’s absence may have been the spark this team needed to lock in and push harder. This group knows its window is limited, much like the Phillies of the late 1970s before they finally broke through in 1980. They don’t need to be “hot” entering October—they simply need to play crisp, disciplined baseball. Draw walks. Take extra bases. Apply pressure on the defense. Play their game, and they’ll be as dangerous as anyone.
Even without Wheeler, all the pieces remain in place. A rotation with depth and upside, multiple MVP-level hitters, a bullpen anchored by a real closer, and the hunger of a veteran roster still chasing a title. Put it all together, and the Phillies may still be the best team in the National League—and fully capable of finishing the job.