Phillies Notes Wheeler Romano Turner Boh

The Phillies have been without ace right-hander in their rotation since August 15, and late last month it was that he had been recommended for surgery to correct thoracic outlet syndrome. Today, the Phillies revealed to reporters (including ) that Wheeler is set to go under the knife on September 23. At the time of the clubs original announcement about Wheeler needing surgery, it was suggested that the procedure typically came with a 6-8 month recovery timeline. A suming that holds true, Wheeler going under the knife later this month would mean that he could return to the Phillies rotation sometime in the first half of 2026. A best case scenario would seem to suggest that hed mi s the first few weeks of the regular season, with the longer end of that projected timeline getting Wheeler back on the mound a couple of weeks before the All-Star break. Of course, timelines like this are all largely hypothetical until the procedure actually occurs, and even afterwards theres always the po sibility of a setback or other developments changing the time table even further. Still, the idea that Wheeler should be back on the mound at some Jackson Tetreault Jersey point in the first half next year should surely be encouraging for fans in Philadelphia. The unquestioned ace of the clubs rotation, Wheeler has become more important to the team than ever as enters what could be the final weeks of his Phillies tenure with free agency coming up in November while scuffles through a career-worst season. s emergence as a legitimate front-of-the-rotation arm will go a long way to helping the team get by without Wheeler to take the lead, but it nonethele s goes without saying that the sooner the 35-year-old can return to the mound, the better off the organization will be. The clubs news on injured right-hander offers le s reason for optimism. Romano has been on the shelf since August 26 due to finger inflammation, and today manager Rob Thomson provided the update to reporters (including Varnes) that Romano has been feeling numbne s in his middle finger and stiffne s in his neck. Thomson went on to suggest that it could be a nerve thing that Romano is dealing with, though he did not elaborate beyond that. Romano has had a tough season with the Phillies after signing a one-year deal this winter. Hes pitched to a brutal 8.23 ERA in 42 2/3 innings of work this year despite solid peripherals (including a 3.65 SIERA) thanks in large part to an unbelievably low 49.0% strand rate after entering the season with a career 81.3% figure. While its not impo sible to imagine Romano righting the ship if he can only come back healthy, the po sibility of a lingering nerve problem being the cause of his inflammation would seemingly create pe simism about his ability to return this season and help the Phillies out during the postseason before he returns to free agency in November. Theres more optimistic news to be had on the positional side of things, at least, as both and are both making progre s as they look to return from the injured list. Both players were on September 8. Bohm was dealing with shoulder sorene s, while Turner had been diagnosed with a grade 1 hamstring strain. With the Phillies in the thick of the playoff race and in position to claim a bye through the Wild Card round of the postseason, getting the left side of the clubs infield back in action as soon as po sible would be a ma sive boost. Fortunately, Varnes relays that Turner did some running and played catch today with an eye towards swinging a bat later this week, while Bohm is already set to hit off a tee today. Ildemaro Vargas Jersey