Latest On Zack Wheeler

9:41PM: Wheeler will indeed miss his Monday start, Girardi told Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic and other reporters, though the righty may not be out of action for long.  Girardi feels Wheeler will be able to start during the Phillies’ upcoming series with the Mets, which runs from Tuesday, Sept. 15 to Thursday, Sept. 17.

12:11PM: Zack Wheeler may miss his scheduled start on Monday after he “ripped the nail bed from his middle finger,” writes The Athletic’s Matt Gelb (via Twitter). Interestingly, Wheeler has dealt with a version of this issue his whole career. The Phillies’ right-hander puts undue pressure on his middle finger when he throws, often cracking the nail, per Gelb. In this particular instance, however, Wheeler caught the nail on his jeans and ripped it free. While Gelb says, “It’s not good,” he also gives Wheeler a chance to make his scheduled start on Monday.

In his first season with the Phillies, Wheeler has maintained the success he enjoyed in his final two seasons as a Met, perhaps even taking his dominance a step further. Wheeler boasts a 4-0 record through 8 starts with a 2.47 ERA/3.11 FIP. He’s been everything the Phillies could have hoped for after inking him to a five-year, $118MM deal this offseason.

Slotting Wheeler into the top of the rotation has transformed the Philly starting five into a top-10 unit. Their 3.87 ERA ranks 9th in the majors, 3.83 FIP is tied for 4th in the game, and their 4.9 fWAR is tied for 3rd overall. Last season’s rotation finished 15th, 17th, and 13th by the same metrics.