SOMERSET, NJ — The radar gun in North Jersey told the story before the box score even had a chance to update. On Tuesday night, under the bright lights of TD Bank Ballpark, Zack Wheeler delivered a clear message to the rest of Major League Baseball: The Ace is almost back.
Starting for the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils against the Somerset Patriots, Wheeler dismantled a lineup of elite Yankees prospects with surgical precision. Over 5 2/3 innings, the 35-year-old right-hander racked up nine strikeouts, walked none, and perhaps most importantly, saw his fastball consistently touch 98 mph. For 72 pitches, Wheeler looked less like a man on a rehab assignment and more like the Cy Young runner-up who has anchored the Phillies’ rotation for the better part of a decade.
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The dominance began early. Wheeler struck out five of the first six batters he faced, including a clean sweep of the side in the second inning. His command of the “sweeper” slider was particularly devastating, forcing several of Somerset’s top-tier hitters into defensive, late-count swings. Even Yankees’ shortstop Anthony Volpe, currently on his own rehab assignment, found no answer, striking out twice against the Phillies’ veteran.
“The ball is coming out of his hand differently than it was two weeks ago,” noted one National League scout in attendance. “He’s finding that late life on the heater, and his sequencing was big-league ready. He wasn’t just working on his pitches; he was competing.”
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While Wheeler’s final line showed three runs allowed, the statistics were misleading. He left the game with two on and two outs in the sixth, having only allowed a single run on a two-out double by George Lombard Jr. A subsequent three-run homer allowed by the Reading bullpen “spoiled” the earned run average, but the Phillies’ front office wasn’t looking at the ERA. They were looking at the 72 pitches and the zero walks.
Despite the “Friday Return” hype, manager Rob Thomson has preached a final bit of patience. Wheeler is expected to make one fifth and final rehab start this Sunday to push his pitch count toward the 90-mark. If he emerges from that outing healthy, the projected date for his 2026 season debut is the following weekend in Atlanta—a high-stakes series against the Braves that could serve as the perfect stage for his homecoming