Zack Wheeler was in the thick of the NL Cy Young race, and was the best Phillies pitcher on a staff full of aces. Then it all suddenly stopped.

He didn't break a bone, or tear a ligament. He developed a blood clot. The Phillies rightly shut him down, had the clot in his shoulder removed and put him on the shelf for the season. It was then revealed he needed thoracic outlet decompression surgery to alleviate venous thoracic outlet syndrome.

This is a rare surgery, but it's not unheard of.

Dr. Dinesh Dhanaraj, the Attending Orthopedic Surgeon at St. Mary Medical Center in Langhorne , weighed in on some of the specifics of Wheeler's injury, to help us understand what might happen to him career-wise if/when he returns next year.

("It's a serious health issue," Dhanaraj said. "The f

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