US EditionPhillies Pitcher Stashed His Own Rib In His Closet After Having It Removed During Surgery
Wheeler underwent rib removal surgery after a blood clot caused venous thoracic outlet syndrome; the procedure ended his 2025 season and delays his 2026 start.
- On Wednesday, Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler said the rib removed during thoracic outlet surgery is stored in a protective case in a closet at his house.
- Following thrombolysis and specialist exams, doctors diagnosed venous thoracic outlet syndrome after a blood clot prompted surgery that ended Wheeler's 2025 season.
- Surgeons removed part of his first rib during thoracic outlet decompression to relieve subclavian vein compression, and Wheeler said the first postoperative week was `really tough` but now he feels `pretty much normal`.
- The club must navigate early 2026 without Wheeler, a notable loss given his 30.4 WAR over 11 seasons since joining the Phillies.
- Wheeler is rebuilding arm strength with progressive throws—90 feet four times a week, soon extending to 105 feet, then flat-ground work, and expects to return even one rib lighter.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Phillies’ Zack Wheeler took home his ‘gross’ surgically removed rib — here’s what he did with it
Zack Wheeler appears to be a fan of spare ribs. The Phillies ace and former Mets starter revealed Wednesday that he kept a rib that doctors removed during a September procedure on his right shoulder.
The Phillies’ Zack Wheeler was given one of his ribs after surgery. Now he’s working to ‘do my thing’ once again.
His doctor hand-delivered the rib he removed during Wheeler’s surgery for a blood clot in September. “It was pretty gross,” said the Phillies ace, who is not looking too far ahead in his return.
Zack Wheeler Reveals Fate of His Surgically Removed Rib—And It’s Bizarre
Zack Wheeler (Image Credits: Imagn) Spring training usually brings radar gun readings and rehab timelines. Zack Wheeler brought something else to Clearwater. A story legit out of a clubhouse horror flick. The Philadelphia Phillies’ ace isn’t just working back from a scary 2025 medical episode. He’s also got a souvenir to prove it. Per the New York Post (Feb. 11, 2026), Zack Wheeler kept the rib doctors removed during surgery for thoracic outlet …
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