Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler (shoulder) will throw a bullpen session on Sunday, and manager Joe Girardi won't rule him out yet from starting the regular season on time, especially if MLB allows expanded rosters to open the season. Girardi mentioned the possibility of piggy-backing Wheeler with another pitcher early in April. Wheeler recently had the flu and also dealt with shoulder soreness this offseason, so he is a bit behind. But the 31-year-old's injury doesn't seem very serious, so fantasy managers shouldn't be too concerned just yet. Wheeler has posted an ERA below 3.00 in each of his first seasons with the Phillies and was a first-time All-Star in 2021. Consider him a low-end fantasy ace.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler (illness) has caught the flu, according to manager Joe Girardi. It is not a case of COVID-19. As a result of the illness, Wheeler will not throw on Thursday as he originally was scheduled to. It was reported just a few days ago that Wheeler was behind schedule in ramping up his pitching. Unfortunately, this flu diagnosis certainly won't help speed up that process. Wheeler still has plenty of time to prepare for the start of the season, but if he has another setback, we may need to start lowering him on our draft boards.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler is a bit behind the eight ball early this spring, according to Matt Gelb. Phillies President of Baseball Operations, Dave Dombrowski, stated that Wheeler is not injured, but is just behind in terms of his workload. Wheeler still has plenty of time to get ready for the start of the 2022 regular season after posting a career-best 2.78 ERA with 247 strikeouts across 213 innings pitched in 2021. He currently has an ADP of 23 and should make for a solid number one starter on fantasy rosters in 2022.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler had a career year in 2021, pitching to a 2.78 ERA and 2.59 FIP with 247 strikeouts and 46 walks in 213 1/3 innings en route to finishing second in the voting for the National League Cy Young. One of baseball's best starters, Wheeler set career-highs in both strikeouts and innings pitched last season and will once again lead a Phillies rotation that is also set to feature Aaron Nola, Ranger Suarez, Kyle Gibsonand Zach Eflin. Fantasy managers looking for an elite starting pitcher in the early rounds shouldn't hesitate in selecting the 31-year-old, who has also logged at least 180 innings in his last three full seasons.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler finished second in the voting for the National League Cy Young Award. The Milwaukee Brewers' Corbin Burnes was announced as the winner on Wednesday. Wheeler received the same number of first-place votes as Burnes with 12 but finished second in points as the Brewers' ace received five more second-place votes. The 31-year-old had a career year in 2021 for the Phillies, pitching to a 2.78 ERA, a 2.58 FIP, 247 strikeouts, and 46 walks in 23.1 innings in his second season in a Philadelphia uniform. He led all qualified National League starters in innings pitched and strikeouts. This is the second time that Wheeler has received Cy Young votes. He finished 12th in the voting for the National League Cy Young in 2020.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler's season is over as he will not make his scheduled start Saturday at Miami, according to Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia. The Phillies were eliminated from postseason contention earlier in the week so the team will not push Wheeler who threw a league-leading 213 1/3 innings in 2021. Wheeler had never hit the 200 inning plateau in his career and only threw 71 innings in the shortened 2020 season, so this move makes sense, even if it does come as a disappointment to fantasy managers hoping for one more strong outing from the NL Cy Young contender. Wheeler finished the 2021 season 14-10, with a 2.78 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and 247 strikeouts thanks to a career-best 29% K-rate. He'll be a top-10 SP in 2022 drafts.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler allowed two runs across seven innings, but was out-dueled by Charlie Morton and took the loss in Atlanta on Tuesday night. Wheeler allowed only four hits and one walk while picking up seven K's in his latest strong effort. On the season, Wheeler is 14-7 with a sparkling 2.78 ERA supported by a 2.83 xFIP across a league-leading 213 1/3 innings pitched as he's firmly in the NL Cy Young conversation. He'll look to finish the season strong with a soft matchup in Miami on Sunday.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler allowed one run across six innings while picking up nine strikeouts versus the Orioles on Wednesday. The bullpen couldn't hold the lead and get Wheeler a win, but it was another strong outing from the NL Cy Young candidate. Wheeler has simply been superb this season as he's 14-9 with a 2.79 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 240 strikeouts across a league-leading 206 1/3 innings. His ERA is fully supported by an xFIP of 2.86 which ranks third among all qualified starters and his 29.2% strikeout rate is easily a career-best. No matter how you slice it, Wheeler has been one of the MVPs for fantasy managers this season. He's a must-start option in all leagues despite a tough matchup with Atlanta on Tuesday.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler allowed one run across five innings at the Mets on Friday to pick up his 14th victory of the season. Wheeler didn't pitch deep into this one, but he did rack up six strikeouts and the bullpen held on for the win. With this start, Wheeler has thrown 200 1/3 innings this season, the first time in his career he's hit the 200 inning plateau. Most of those innings have been brilliant as Wheeler is firmly in the NL Cy Young race with a 2.83 ERA, a 1.02 WHIP, and 231 strikeouts thanks to a career-best 29% K-rate. He'll look to pad those impressive numbers with a start versus the lowly Orioles next time out.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler allowed one run across 6 2/3 innings to pick up his 13th victory on Saturday versus Colorado. Wheeler allowed just four hits and two walks while picking up eight strikeouts. The NL Cy Young candidate hit a rough patch at the end of August, but he seems to have righted the ship with back-to-back outings of at least six innings with just one run allowed total and 17 strikeouts. On the season, Wheeler is sporting a pristine 2.86 ERA which is fully supported by his underlying metrics as his FIP (2.66), xFIP (2.86), and xERA (2.77) all back up his success. He'll look to stay hot in a good matchup with the Cubs next time out.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler fired six innings of shutout ball to earn his 12th win of the season on Labor Day at the Brewers. Wheeler had excellent command as he collected nine strikeouts against no walks while throwing 71 of 99 pitches for strikes. The veteran right needed a start like this as he allowed four earned runs or more in his previous four outings. Wheeler was still earning plenty of strikeouts during his struggles, however, and he dominated in that department again in this start, earning 16 swinging strikes and posting a strong 30% called-plus-swinging strike rate. That's a great sign for Wheeler moving forward, especially with a home start versus the Rockies up next.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler didn't have his best outing on Monday night, but he lasted six innings in Washington to earn his 11th win. Wheeler allowed four runs on five hits and four walks as his excellent control abandoned him in this game. On the season Wheeler is averaging 5.2 strikeouts for every walk he allows which ranks seventh in baseball, so this start seems like an exception, not a trend fantasy managers need to worry about. Wheeler still leads baseball in innings pitched and strikeouts as he's firmly in the NL Cy Young race. He's a must-start fantasy ace with a pillow-soft matchup in Miami lined up over the weekend.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler had a weird start on Wednesday as he allowed seven runs - five earned - with 10 strikeouts across eight innings in a loss versus the Rays. Wheeler was cruising in this one as he generated a whopping 18 swinging strikes on 102 pitches while becoming the first pitcher in MLB to reach the 200 strikeout plateau for the season. However, manager Joe Girardi let his ace start the ninth inning which proved to be a mistake as Wheeler served up a three-run homer to Francisco Mejia to take the loss. Wheeler will carry a 10-9 record, a 2.90 ERA, and a 1.01 WHIP into a solid matchup with the Nationals next time out.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler went eight innings striking out 10, but gave up seven runs in a 7-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday. The 31-year-old surrendered five earned runs on 10 hits and three homers, the big blow coming from Rays catcher Francisco Mejia with a three-run homer in the ninth inning to knock Wheeler out of the game. Wheeler has now allowed 11 earned runs in his past two starts. The 2021 All-Star is 10-9 with a 2.90 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and career-high 204 strikeouts across 176 2/3 innings pitched. Wheeler will look to rebound against the Washington Nationals in his next start and continue his terrific season.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler was cruising on Thursday afternoon at the Diamondbacks, but got roughed up in the seventh inning to spoil a good day of pitching. Through six innings, the NL Cy Young candidate had allowed only one run on two hits. Wheeler's pitch count was under control so he was allowed to start the seventh inning. Five hits, four runs, and one shouting match with the umpire later, and Wheeler was lifted from the game. Wheeler did contribute seven strikeouts on the day and should still be considered a matchup-proof ace in fantasy. He should be started next time out despite a tough home matchup with the Rays.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler was brilliant on Sunday afternoon, firing a two-hit shutout to finish off a three-game sweep of the Mets. Wheeler was in command all afternoon as he induced a whopping 22 swinging strikes en route to 11 punchouts against only one walk. With Mets ace Jacob deGrom (elbow) on the injured list, Wheeler made his case as the NL Cy Young favorite as he improved to 10-6 with a 2.42 ERA, a 0.99 WHIP, and 181 strikeouts across 156 innings. He's a must-start ace in fantasy despite facing a challenging Reds lineup next time out.

The Philadelphia Phillies acquired pitchers Kyle Gibson and Ian Kennedy, bolstering their staff in a deadline trade Friday in which they got the Texas Rangers' top starter and closer in exchange for rookie right-hander Spencer Howard and two other pitching prospects. Texas also sent pitching prospect Hans Crouse, a second-round draft pick four years ago, and cash to the Phillies. Howard (0-2, 5.72 ERA), who was Philadelphia’s second-round pick in 2017, is going to Texas with right-handers Kevin Gowdy and Josh Gessner. Gibson (6-3, 2.87 ERA in 19 starts) was a first-time All-Star this season, but the 33-year-old right-hander lost his last three starts for Texas. Kennedy had 16 saves in 17 opportunities for the last-place Rangers, and the 36-year-old right-hander hasn’t issued a walk in his last 11 appearances, a span of 45 batters dating to June 4. “We feel like we made ourselves better and we’re in position where we have another starting pitcher in our rotation for next year. We’ve also... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Luis Patiño outpitched Gerrit Cole, Brett Phillips hit a grand slam during a 10-run sixth inning, and the Tampa Bay Rays avoided a three-game sweep by routing the New York Yankees 14-0 on Thursday. Patiño (2-2) allowed three hits in six innings. The 21-year-old right-hander, acquired in the trade that sent Blake Snell to San Diego last December, struck out eight and walked two. Cole (10-6) gave up a season-high eight runs — seven earned — on six hits over 5 1/3 innings and saw his ERA jump from 2.74 to 3.11. He had 10 strikeouts and two walks. Austin Meadows homered twice and drove in five runs for the Rays. Louis Head and Ryan Sherriff completed a four-hitter. All nine batters in the Rays’ lineup reached base in the sixth. It was the biggest scoring inning by Tampa Bay since a 10-run fifth at Miami on June 5, 2008. NATIONALS 3, PHILLIES 1, GAME 1 PHILLIES 11, NATIONALS 8, 8 INNINGS, GAME 2 PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Max Scherzer delivered a signature performance in... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Luis Patiño outpitched Gerrit Cole, Brett Phillips hit a grand slam during a 10-run sixth inning, and the Tampa Bay Rays avoided a three-game sweep by routing the New York Yankees 14-0 on Thursday. Patiño (2-2) allowed three hits in six innings. The 21-year-old right-hander, acquired in the trade that sent Blake Snell to San Diego last December, struck out eight and walked two. Cole (10-6) gave up a season-high eight runs — seven earned — on six hits over 5 1/3 innings and saw his ERA jump from 2.74 to 3.11. He had 10 strikeouts and two walks. Austin Meadows homered twice and drove in five runs for the Rays. Louis Head and Ryan Sherriff completed a four-hitter. All nine batters in the Rays’ lineup reached base in the sixth. It was the biggest scoring inning by Tampa Bay since a 10-run fifth at Miami on June 5, 2008. NATIONALS 3, PHILLIES 1, GAME 1 PHILLIES 11, NATIONALS 8, 8 INNINGS, GAME 2 PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Max Scherzer delivered a signature performance in... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Luis Patiño outpitched Gerrit Cole, Brett Phillips hit a grand slam during a 10-run sixth inning, and the Tampa Bay Rays avoided a three-game sweep by routing the New York Yankees 14-0 on Thursday. Patiño (2-2) allowed three hits in six innings. The 21-year-old right-hander, acquired in the trade that sent Blake Snell to San Diego last December, struck out eight and walked two. Cole (10-6) gave up a season-high eight runs — seven earned — on six hits over 5 1/3 innings and saw his ERA jump from 2.74 to 3.11. He had 10 strikeouts and two walks. Austin Meadows homered twice and drove in five runs for the Rays. Louis Head and Ryan Sherriff completed a four-hitter. All nine batters in the Rays’ lineup reached base in the sixth. It was the biggest scoring inning by Tampa Bay since a 10-run fifth at Miami on June 5, 2008. NATIONALS 3, PHILLIES 1, GAME 1 PHILLIES 11, NATIONALS 8, 8 INNINGS, GAME 2 PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Max Scherzer delivered a signature performance in... [More]