Zack Wheeler

Phillies starter Zack Wheeler allowed one earned run on five hits and two walks while striking out four over seven innings in a win over the Miami Marlins in his debut with the team on Saturday.

Fantasy Impact

Wheeler's Phillies debut went about as well as anyone could have hoped, and he'll look to build on this performance when he takes on the Yankees in New York in his next start.

Zack Wheeler is scheduled to make his Phillies debut and first start of 2020 on Saturday agains the Miami Marlins.

Fantasy Impact

Phillies manager Joe Girardi previously mentioned that Wheeler could miss a few turns in the rotation as his wife was expected to give birth around Opening Day. His wife gave birth to a healthy baby boy on Monday so he is no longer in danger of missing any starts. He is currently the 38th overall starting pitcher according to FantasyPros Expert Consensus Rankings and is primed to start the season with a bang against the lowly Marlins.

Phillies manager Joe Girardi says there is a chance Zack Wheeler (paternity) might not be available for the start of the season.

Fantasy Impact

Wheeler's wife is scheduled to give birth right around Opening Day, so it is completely up in the air whether or not he'll be with the team then. Girardi also noted that the Phillies could be without Aaron Nola as well, who was placed on the COVID-19 IL last week.

Zack Wheeler could miss one or two starts at the beginning of the season with his wife expecting a baby sometime in July.

Fantasy Impact

Wheeler missing just two starts could impact him by 20 starting pitcher spots in upcoming drafts, so monitor this situation closely. Assume Wheeler and his family will take extra precautions, given the Phillies are one of the teams currently most exposed to COVID-19.

Phillies starter Zack Wheeler allowed one earned run on four hits and one walk while striking out six over four innings in Tuesday's win over the Minnesota Twins.

Fantasy Impact

The Phillies are counting on Wheeler to help anchor their rotation after ace Aaron Nola in 2020 after the group largely struggled in 2019. Wheeler, for his part, struck out 195 batters over 195 1/3 innings while pitching to a 3.96 ERA. If he can throw that many quality innings for the Phillies in 2020, they will be happy with the early returns on their five-year, $118 million investment.