Zack Wheeler’s second rehab outing with Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Friday night wasn’t his best, though his defence didn’t exactly help matters.
The three-time All-Star was nearing the end of three scoreless innings against the Durham Bulls before things went wrong. With two outs and runners on base, Raynel Delgado hit a fly ball to left-center field. It looked like it would end the inning.
However, the ball dropped between left fielder Óscar Mercado and center fielder Pedro León, allowing two runners to score. Wheeler then hit the next batter and fell behind 3-0 against Jacob Melton. Melton then hit a three-run homer to right field.
Wheeler’s Performance Breakdown
Wheeler retired the next batter to end the inning, finishing his night after 27 pitches. Over three innings, he allowed five runs on four hits and two walks, striking out one.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Wheeler looked sharp for the first two innings on Saturday. Thomson noted that Wheeler threw 22 pitches in the first two innings, but then lost command in the third, missing arm-side often.
Wheeler threw 49 pitches, with only 26 being strikes. He threw 23 four-seam fastballs, averaging 92.7 mph and topping out at 93.9 mph. That was slightly down from his previous rehab start one week prior, when his four-seamer topped out at 94.3 mph and averaged 93.3 mph.
Velocity Concerns Dismissed
Thomson didn’t seem worried about Wheeler’s dip in velocity.
Thomson said it is still Spring Training for him. He added that it won’t be his last rehab outing and there’s at least one more after that. Thomson expects the velocity to increase as he gets more pitches and innings under his belt, and then increase again when the adrenaline kicks in when he returns.
Future Plans for Wheeler
Wheeler is expected to make another rehab start for Lehigh Valley on Wednesday. In the meantime, Thomson said Wheeler would return to Citizens Bank Park and throw a bullpen either on Sunday or Monday. He could rejoin the Phillies following Wednesday’s outing, or he could make another rehab appearance.
Barring any setbacks, Wheeler is still on track to rejoin Philadelphia’s rotation at some point in April.