When Zack Wheeler walked off the mound Friday night, fans assumed the Phillies’ ace had just delivered another reliable outing in a season where he’s been the backbone of the rotation. But less than 24 hours later, the mood around Citizens Bank Park shifted. What started as a feeling of heaviness in Wheeler’s shoulder turned into something far more serious: a blood clot diagnosis that immediately placed his season, and more importantly, his health, in jeopardy.

By Monday morning, Wheeler underwent a thrombolysis procedure by Dr. Paul DiMuzio at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. The clot was successfully removed, but uncertainty lingers. Suddenly, the Phillies’ late-summer focus has pivoted. This isn’t about shuffling rotations or eyeing matchups. It’s about making sure one of their

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