Phillies aren’t rushing Zack Wheeler; Zach Eflin on track to be ready for start of season

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler didn’t just lead his team in innings pitched last season, he led the majors in innings pitched, with 213⅓. His performance over that span nearly won him the Cy Young Award: three complete games, two shutouts, a 2.78 ERA and 247 strikeouts.

The Phillies would love for Wheeler to replicate that season, but they aren’t looking to rush him. According to president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, Wheeler, who is a historically slow starter, is a little behind. In a media availability on Sunday, Dombrowski said he would expect Wheeler to be the Phillies’ opening-day starter, but it’s possible he won’t be ready.

» READ MORE: Phillies’ moves for 2022: How we got here and what deals could be next

“He’s not off the mound yet, but he’s ready to get off the mound here very soon,” Dombrowski said. “Hopefully he’s still ready for the beginning of the season. Apparently, he is always slow to get ready for the season. That’s just how he is. I haven’t seen him personally, but the medical reports say that everything is fine from a health perspective.

“Normally you would expect Zack Wheeler to be your opening-day starter, based upon what he’s done, but I can’t tell you he’s at that point where he’ll be ready. Now could he be in the rotation first time through? Yeah, he could be.”

Manager Joe Girardi said Sunday the plan heading into the lockout was for Wheeler to take it slow because of his heavy workload in 2021. Wheeler’s 213⅓ innings pitched was his most taxing season by far. In 60-game 2020 season, he pitched 71 innings, and in 2019 and 2018, he pitched 195⅓ and 182⅓ innings, respectively.

Nevertheless, Girardi is optimistic Wheeler will be ready to contribute for the first turn through the rotation of the regular season, because he wouldn’t be expected to go deep into a game right away. Because of the shortened spring training, Girardi anticipates shorter starts for all of his starters as they ramp up for a full season.

» READ MORE: Phillies sign reliever Jeurys Familia to one-year deal as they continue to bolster bullpen

Especially given starting pitcher Ranger Suarez’s visa situation, Wheeler’s slow start was likely not the news the Phillies had hoped for as big league camp opened up. But Dombrowski received a positive development in Zach Eflin’s progression. The right-handed starter, who underwent knee surgery in September 2021, appears to be on track to be ready for the start of the season.

Originally, Eflin was estimated to be out for six to eight months, and it seemed likely that he would return on the later end of that spectrum (in May). But Eflin has thrown a few bullpen sessions already and feels good about the work he’s done.

» READ MORE: The universal DH, 12-team playoffs and higher luxury tax: What the new CBA means for the Phillies

“I think he’s a diligent worker,” Girardi said of Eflin. “We’re extremely excited with where he’s at. Because of the lockout and our inability to communicate, we weren’t exactly sure where he was going to be at, but I saw him throw a bullpen [Saturday] and he looked great, and he feels great today.”

Eflin was used as a back-end starter for the Phillies last year, posting a 4.17 ERA, 99 strikeouts, and 16 walks over 105⅔ innings.