Phillies SP Zack Wheeler injures himself putting on pants originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
The Phillies scratched Zack Wheeler from his start Saturday after he injured a nail on his pitching hand while putting on a pair of pants, manager Joe Girardi told reporters Thursday.
Wheeler, who pitched in parts of five seasons for the oft-injured Mets, signed a five-year, $118 million deal with Philadelphia last offseason. He went into play Friday leading the Phillies in both ERA (2.47) and innings pitched (51) with just 20 games remaining on the schedule.
“It’s very sore,” Girardi said in a Zoom call with reporters Thursday. “You can’t make this up.”
This isn’t the first time pants have taken out an MLB player. Former Cubs closer Brandon Morrow hurt his back in June 2018 while undressing and landed on the injured list. He’s pitched just nine total innings since, missing both the 2019 and 2020 seasons with a string of injuries.
The Phillies hope Wheeler will be ready to retake the mound by Monday, when they open up a three-game series against the Mets.
