Zack Wheeler's dominant return from venous thoracic outlet syndrome surgery that sidelined him for most of 2025 has driven overwhelming trader consensus around his NL Comeback Player of the Year selection. The Phillies right-hander, a three-time All-Star, made his 2026 debut in late April and delivered a 14-5 record with a 3.00 ERA across 28 starts, 162 innings, and 193 strikeouts while maintaining pre-injury velocity and command. Official MLB beat reporter voting and the MLBPA Players Choice Awards both recognized his bounce-back performance, which anchored the Phillies rotation alongside Cristopher Sánchez and Jesús Luzardo. With the award already presented in mid-November, only an unprecedented reversal of the voting results could shift the outcome.