The Philadelphia Phillies are charging into the final stretch of the regular season, setting themselves up for a fourth straight trip to October baseball. After a dominant week that crushed the New York Mets and all but locked up the NL East crown, the focus has shifted from the standings to the health of the roster with the playoffs now just two weeks away.
There’s some good news: star shortstop Trea Turner is expected to return from his hamstring injury before the postseason begins, easing at least one concern. But the Phillies are still dealing with several key absences, including third baseman Alec Bohm, versatile infielder Edmundo Sosa, reliever Jordan Romano, and ace Zack Wheeler.
Here’s the latest on where things stand with Philadelphia’s injured players.
Phillies News: Zack Wheeler’s thoracic outlet syndrome surgery scheduled for next week
We already knew Zack Wheeler’s season was over, but now there’s more clarity on what comes next. After undergoing a thrombolysis procedure in August to clear a blood clot, he’s scheduled for surgery on Sept. 23 in St. Louis to address venous thoracic outlet syndrome.
According to MLB.com, the hope is that the 34-year-old righty can work his way back to form by 2026, though nothing is guaranteed. The silver lining is that his case involves the vein rather than the nerve, which typically makes recovery a little more manageable.
Even so, the timeline is significant. With an estimated six-to-eight month recovery window, it’s almost certain the Phillies will have to open next season without their ace anchoring the rotation.
Alec Bohm should rejoin Phillies after minimum stay on IL
On the plus side, Bohm is making headway toward a speedy recovery from his 10-day injured list stint. On September 8, he (together with Turner) was first placed on the IL due to inflammation in his left shoulder.
Before Sunday’s series finale against the Kansas City Royals, manager Rob Thomson informed the media that Bohm should be back in the lineup after the required minimum of ten days. He had already advanced to soft toss and striking off the tee. He should be activated for the Phillies’ weekend game against the Diamondbacks in Arizona after completing a rigorous workout on Monday.
It’s unclear how long Bohm had been battling with the shoulder ailment, but his September troubles prompted the Phillies to pull him out. After hitting.283 in 14 August games, Bohm hit only.143 with a.420 OPS in five September games.
“He’s been grinding with this left shoulder for a while now, fighting through it,” Thomson told MLB.com’s Paul Casella regarding Bohm’s shoulder when he originally went on the injured list. “So we decided to turn this thing off. We expect him to return in 10 days.”
Jordan Romano’s injury news worsens, Phillies still want to see him pitch though
Jordan Romano’s first season in Philadelphia has been anything but what the team or fans envisioned, and now it might be over. The struggling reliever landed on the 15-day injured list on Aug. 26 with inflammation in his right middle finger, and things haven’t improved much since.
A planned bullpen session on Sept. 13 was called off after Romano experienced neck stiffness along with lingering numbness in his finger, according to Phillies Nation’s Ty Daubert. Those symptoms raise serious concerns about whether he’ll be able to make it back before season’s end.
While Romano is battling with finger numbness and a suspected nerve issue, the biggest surprise is that the Phillies have not ruled him out of returning this season. This injury problem, combined with his poor performance, appears to be the ideal chance for the Phillies to let him go. There’s no way they could put him on the postseason roster, right?