The Philadelphia Phillies came storming back from a five game deficit behind the New York Mets last season, finishing with 96 wins, the second most in Major League Baseball, and running away with the National League East by 13 games. Their regular season dominance, however, did not carry over into October. Philadelphia was eliminated in the Division Series, losing 3-1 to the Los Angeles Dodgers, who went on to win the World Series.
So what went wrong? Like most postseason exits, there was no single explanation. Still, one major issue loomed large. The Phillies entered the playoffs without their ace, three time All Star right hander Zack Wheeler.
Wheeler, then 35, was having another outstanding season, going 10-5 with a 2.70 ERA and 195 strikeouts across 149 2/3 innings. On August 16, his season took a frightening turn when the Phillies placed him on the injured list with a blood clot near his right shoulder.
That diagnosis required thrombolysis, a procedure to remove the clot, followed by thoracic outlet decompression surgery. While the team has said the operation was successful, Wheeler’s recovery timeline could still sideline him for at least part of the 2026 season.
Phillies Add to Depth to Fill Rotation Vacancy
The Phillies have yet to add a full time starter capable of directly replacing Wheeler in a rotation that led the National League and ranked second in MLB with a 3.53 ERA last season. They did, however, bolster their pitching depth on Tuesday by agreeing to terms with a former top 10 Atlanta Braves prospect who once started a World Series game.
That pitcher is Tucker Davidson, now 29. He was not heavily hyped coming out of Midland College in Texas and was selected by Atlanta in the 19th round of the draft. Davidson quickly changed perceptions with strong minor league performances, highlighted by a 2.15 ERA and 134 strikeouts in 129 2/3 innings in 2019.
Those numbers earned him a major league debut during the shortened 2020 season and another brief opportunity in 2021. Prior to the 2022 season, MLB Pipeline ranked him as the Braves’ No. 8 prospect.
Davidson Spent Most of 2025 in Korea
According to The Athletic’s Will Sammon, Davidson signed a minor league deal with Philadelphia, adding some postseason experience to a Phillies team expecting to reach the playoffs for a fifth straight year.
Davidson’s playoff moment came in Game 5 of the 2021 World Series. It was a short outing, as manager Brian Snitker pulled him two batters into the third inning after he allowed two runs on four hits and three walks. Atlanta lost that game to Houston but rebounded to win Game 6 and the championship.
Following that season, the Braves dealt Davidson to the Dodgers as part of the Raisel Iglesias trade in 2022. He later pitched for multiple major league teams before heading to the Korean Baseball Organization in 2025 with the Lotte Giants.
In Korea, Davidson made 22 starts and posted a 3.65 ERA, along with a 22.5 percent strikeout rate, a 9.1 percent walk rate, and a 46.4 percent ground ball rate. Despite those solid results, Lotte released him in August. He finished the year in the Milwaukee Brewers organization before being cut on October 12.
Now, Davidson is looking to carve out a role with the defending NL East champions, though it remains uncertain whether his minor league deal includes an invitation to big league spring training.