Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Sunday that Wheeler has yet to throw off a mound during the offseason and could be behind the team's other starting pitchers when Opening Day arrives, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.
Wheeler wasn't delayed in his offseason throwing program due to any injury; instead, he simply opted to take more extended time off to rest coming off a 2021 campaign in which he covered a career-high 213.1 innings. The Phillies will likely let their ace ramp up at his own pace during the next three weeks of spring training, but his lack of mound work to date could put him out of contention for the Opening Day nod. Assuming he endures no setbacks while building up, however, Wheeler should still be in good shape to avoid the injured list and make a turn by the time the Phillies first require a fifth starter April 15.