Zack

Wheeler

Wheeler struck out five and walked none. The only damage came on a Jesús Sañchez homer in the sixth. Wheeler then departed a tie game, which kept him 5-1 with a 2.22 ERA through nine starts. He should be regarded as a top-10 SP at this point, and he’ll face the Marlins next time out.

Wheeler carried a no-hitter into the sixth, but gave up a little outfield bloop single to Bryce Johnson, and, later in the seventh, a two-run homer to Manny Machado. Those were the only hits he allowed, lowering his ERA to 2.31. After struggling with his velocity in his rehab from thoracic outlet syndrome, Wheeler has emerged as a league-winning upside pick. He’ll take on the Jays in his next start, and fantasy managers should keep dialing Wheeler up until they hear otherwise.

If you take away solo homers, Wheeler was solid. When you give up four of them, that caveat doesn’t really work. Wheeler couldn’t keep the ball in the park, and while he allowed no other runs and just one more hit before leaving, those roundtrippers made it a disappointing effort for the 36-year-old. Wheeler was due for a shaky start, and still has a 2.27 ERA and 40/9 K/BB in his 43 2/3 innings in 2026. Expect him to bounce back against the struggling Padres’ offense next week.

Orion Kerkering, Brad Keller and Jhoan Duran finished up the three-hitter. Wheeler allowed two hits and walked one in the 99-pitch outing. Following a leadoff double in the fourth, he retired nine in a row to conclude his day. Wheeler is an incredible 4-0 with a 1.67 ERA and a 36/8 K/BB in 37 2/3 innings since returning from thoracic outlet surgery. He’s due to make his next start Friday against the Dodgers.

The 35-year-old right-hander scattered just four hits and one walk in the brilliant effort. The Pirates only had one runner reach second base against him, as Brandon Lowe doubled with two outs in the sixth inning. He got 13 whiffs on 98 pitches on the day — nine of them on his fastball which averaged 96.3 mph — while posting a solid CSW of 27 percent. He has been great through his first five starts, going 3-0 with a 1.99 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and a 30/7 K/BB ratio across 31 2/3 innings.

Wheeler caught quite a break in the seventh, as Wilyer Abreu’s blast to left was caught just in front of the 380-foot mark at Fenway Park. It would have been a homer in 29 parks, says Statcast. Wheeler’s first few innings tonight were truly remarkable; aided by a pair of double plays, he threw only six pitches in the first, six in the second and four in the third. He came in at 87 pitches in all, and though he allowed 11 hard-hit balls, he didn’t give up any extra-base hits. He’s 2-0 with a 2.55 ERA after four starts, and he’s due to face the Pirates in a matchup against Paul Skenes on Sunday.

He allowed five hits, walked one and struck out four. Wheeler averaged 95.0 mph with his fastball tonight, up from 94.3 mph in his season debut, so it seems like he just might wind up close to his 2024 average of 96.1 mph as he continues to build up. That’s great news for those who stashed him in drafts this spring. He’ll face the Red Sox next.

Wheeler had a home run allowed to Otto Lopez overturned to a double after a successful challenge by interim manager Don Mattingly in the first inning, but on the following at-bat, he would allow a double to Xavier Edwards to give the Marlins their first run on the evening. That run would be the only run Wheeler would allow on the evening, as he would go on to settle in and blank the Marlins for the next five innings while firing seven strikeouts over that span. Wheeler has been solid in his first two starts of the season, allowing just three earned runs over 11 innings while striking out 14. His next outing is scheduled for Wednesday at home against the Athletics.

Wheeler allowed just three hits in his first start of 2026, but he did walk three and appeared to be losing command as the start continued. Still, a solid outing that saw him generate 15 swings and misses while throwing 56-of-84 pitches for strikes. It is worth noting, however, that his velocity was down a good amount — 94.7 mph per four-seam fastball compared to 96.1 in 2025 — so that’s something to keep an eye on. Wheeler will be back on the mound Friday against the Marlins.

Wheeler takes the ball for his season debut against the division-rival Braves on Saturday night as the Phillies attempt to snap a dismal 10-game losing streak. No pressure. The 35-year-old former ace’s fastball velocity simply wasn’t back to pre-surgery levels during a handful of recent minor league rehab starts which makes this a wait-and-see situation for fantasy managers, despite his lengthy track record of success.