Phillies Get Bad News With Zack Wheeler Injury Update

Philadelphia Phillies fans rejoiced on Thursday as the news broke that reigning NL MVP Bryce Harper will be activated on Friday. It wasn't all good news on the injury front, though. Starting pitcher Zack Wheeler was placed on the 15-day IL seemingly out of nowhere with right forearm tendinitis.

Zack Wheeler Injury Update

This development came as a surprise since manager Rob Thomson never mentioned any issue for Wheeler before. However, it's important to note that his velocity has been down as of late and he has allowed 10 earned runs over his last two starts (11.1 innings). Something clearly isn't right with him.

The good news is that the injury isn't expected to be serious. Phillies president Dave Dombrowski told reporters that they're being cautious and shutting Wheeler down for a few weeks rather than risking further injury by having him pitch through it. Wheeler may only miss two turns through the rotation.

Wheeler has bounced back from a poor start to the year and now owns a 3.07 ERA across 23 starts. His 11 wins lead all Philadelphia pitchers and his 1.08 WHIP ranks second behind only Aaron Nola. Losing the veteran's consistency is a tough blow, but the diagnosis could've been much worse.

Bailey Falter will start in place of Wheeler against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night and will be relied on until early September. The second-year pro owns a 1-3 record, 4.40 ERA and 1.29 WHIP across 12 appearances (8 starts) this season. He has given up 10 home runs in 45.0 innings pitched.

The Phillies have odds set at +3500 to win the World Series, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.