Phillies' Zack Wheeler dealing with blood clot in right arm; retired MLB team physician weighs in

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Philadelphia Phillies star Zack Wheeler was placed on the 15-day injured list on Saturday night as the team revealed he had a "right upper extremity blood clot."

The details of Wheeler’s injury were scant on Saturday night.

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Phillies' Zack Wheeler pitches against the Boston Red Sox at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, July 21, 2025. (Eric Hartline/Imagn Images)

Dave Dombrowski, the Phillies’ president of baseball operations, said there wasn’t a lot of information to give about Wheeler’s issue, but it would be evaluated further in Philadelphia. Paul Buchheit, the team’s head athletic trainer, said Wheeler experienced "heaviness" in his arm and that doctors were called upon to properly diagnose Wheeler. 

It’s unclear whether the clot was in an artery or a vein.

Dr. Michael Jacobs, a retired team physician who previously worked for the Baltimore Orioles, explained to Fox News Digital on Sunday that, regardless of where the clot is located, it is a dangerous situation for Wheeler that needed to be dealt with immediately.

"The treatment of these gets to be a real problem," he said. "I’ve dealt with baseball players who’ve had this and sometimes when a small artery gets pinched or clotted off, they actually just get rid of the artery and your body does OK – they tie it off.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler throws to the Texas Rangers, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

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"Sometimes if it’s your axillary artery, they can either try to remove the clot by