Zack and Dominique Wheeler are expecting their fourth child any day now and the Phillies have adjusted their rotation this week as a result.
Wheeler had been scheduled to start Tuesday in Toronto, which would have also lined him up for the final game of the Phillies’ road trip this week in Pittsburgh.
Instead, the Phils will start Cristopher Sanchez, Mick Abel and Jesus Luzardo in Toronto Tuesday through Thursday. Starters for the Pirates series are TBD.
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SIGN UP HERE The Phillies’ off-day Monday allows for Sanchez to move up a spot while still pitching on the standard four days’ rest. Same with Luzardo on Thursday.
Abel will pitch the middle game, his second big-league start. The 23-year-old right-hander will remain in the Phillies’ rotation until Aaron Nola is ready to return from an ankle sprain, which could mean two starts. Taijuan Walker has shifted to the bullpen, where he’ll stay.
The Phillies bring a four-game losing streak to Toronto but hope to receive the jolt of Bryce Harper’s bat back in the lineup after five straight absences. Harper was hit in the right elbow by a 95 mph fastball last Tuesday and was swollen and sore for days before hitting in the cage over the weekend.
No Wheeler will make the series more difficult against a Blue Jays club that has won a season-high five straight games and is in the midst of its best offensive period of 2025, having scored 39 runs the last four.
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