Phillies ace Wheeler on 15-day IL with blood clot

WASHINGTON -- The Philadelphia Phillies placed ace Zack Wheeler on the 15-day injured list Saturday with a blood clot in his right arm.

President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said after the Phillies' 2-0 loss to the Nationals that Wheeler had been diagnosed with a "right, upper extremity blood clot."

"There's not a lot that we can say on it at this time," said Dombrowski, who commended doctors for finding the clot. "It could have been a much more trying situation than it is."

Wheeler pitched Friday against Washington and was limited to five innings for the second consecutive start. The right-hander allowed two runs and four hits.

Phillies head athletic trainer Paul Buchheit said Wheeler had been feeling better after some right shoulder soreness, but that changed Friday.

"He felt a little heaviness," Buchheit said. "So, the doctors here were great in helping to diagnose and expedite that diagnosis this morning."

Buchheit said he didn't think Wheeler's present condition had anything to do with his previous stiffness. He said there is a wide variety of treatments available, but declined to get into specifics.

Dombrowski said Wheeler would be evaluated further in Philadelphia.

The 35-year-old Wheeler is 10-5 this season with a 2.71 ERA. He has 195 strikeouts in 149⅔ innings.