Zack Wheeler is having a monster season. The Phillies right-hander has a 2.36 ERA, a 0.939 WHIP, and 84 strikeouts over 80 innings. He’s 8-1 through 13 starts. And he won’t be playing in the MLB All-Star Game this July.
His agent, BB Abbott, is not letting that slide quietly.
Abbott told Matt Gelb of The Athletic that the snub feels especially wrong given what Wheeler has been through. The 36-year-old missed the end of the 2025 season after a blood clot was found near his right shoulder — a situation that could have turned deadly if it reached his heart or lungs. Wheeler had surgery to remove it and returned to the mound in April 2026.
“It’s just tone deaf,” Abbott said. “I think the whole thing is tone deaf.”
The Numbers Don’t Lie
Wheeler is on pace to post a sub-3.00 ERA for the sixth time in seven seasons. That kind of consistency is rare. He’s one of the most reliable arms in the National League, and his 8-1 record reflects how much he’s meant to a Phillies team that’s fighting for another deep playoff run.
But the All-Star selection committee went another direction. Twelve pitchers were chosen for the National League roster. Two of them are Wheeler’s own teammates — Jhoan Duran and Cristopher Sanchez. Duran is making his first All-Star appearance. Sanchez is going for the second time.
Wheeler would have been making his fourth if he’d gotten the nod.
Would He Have Even Played?
There’s a wrinkle here, though. Wheeler is scheduled to start for the Phillies on Tuesday against the Reds and again on July 12 against the Tigers. That second start comes just two days before the All-Star Game. So even if he’d been selected, there’s a real chance he would have skipped it to stick to his regular rotation schedule.
That doesn’t make the snub sting any less for Abbott, who clearly sees it as a missed chance to honor a guy who came back from a scary medical situation and immediately returned to elite form. Wheeler’s bounce-back season isn’t just good — it’s impressive on a human level.
The All-Star Game is set for July 14. Wheeler will be at home that night, probably thinking about his next start instead.
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