To say the last few weeks have been eventful for the 2025 Philadelphia Phillies would be an understatement. Here is a recap of a few key events that have taken place since the All-Star break.

The Phillies picked up two new pieces at the trade deadline, re-acquired relief pitcher David Robertson, and picked up a fresh batch of future studs in the draft, most notably Gage Wood, a pitcher who recently threw a no-hitter in the College World Series for Arkansas.

Beyond new additions to the organization, there has also been a considerable amount of motion in their minor league system. José Alvarado, who was issued an 80-game suspension back in May, due to testing positive for performance enhancing drugs, has pitched five scoreless innings for the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, the Phillies' Triple-A affiliate, during his rehab assignment. He returned to the Phillies' roster on Aug. 19.

Aaron Nola, who has been out with a sprained ankle since May, has pitched in three games for the Iron Pigs, striking out 11 hitters in his third start. Nola started in Washington against the Nationals on Aug. 17, but only pitched three innings, allowing six runs.

Third-baseman Alec Bohm fractured a rib on Jul. 19 after being hit by a pitch in a game against the Padres. In his triple-A rehab assignment, he went 3-for-21, hitting one home run for the Pigs. Bohm is back in the lineup as of the 17th and has been playing well ever since.

Missing key players from the lineup for extended periods of time clearly does not prevent the team from playing good baseball. When the team lost Nola and Alvarado, they continued to battle it out in the NL East with the New York Mets. They lost Bohm around the All-Star break for almost a full month, and in the 29 games played since then, the Phillies have won 17.

Without their standout players in the lineup, they can still hold their own.

However, on Aug. 17, it was announced that their most valuable starting pitcher, Zack Wheeler, was placed on the injured list due to a blood clot in his right shoulder. Phillies fans and players alike began to grieve immediately. On Friday, the 15th, Wheeler pitched five innings against the Nationals and allowed two runs. He did not dominate in his usual fashion, but at the surface level, fans were not given any major reason to worry. It appeared to be simply an off day.

When the seriousness of the injury was revealed, though, the Phillies organization was somber. Blood clots are a very serious issue, and it will take months for proper treatment to be administered. It seems suddenly that the Phillies will be without a star player for the remainder of the season.

Again -- they have been without certain players on and off all season. Even Bryce Harper, who has been the very face of the team for the past few years, was out with a wrist injury for a month. But that was earlier on in the season, and there was no doubt that Harper would be back in the lineup. The Wheeler situation is much different, both in terms of the injury itself, and the dire point in the season that the Phillies are in.

Simply put, every member of the team will need to step up. The starting pitching rotation is still good without Wheeler -- Cristopher Sánchez, for example, has the fifth-best ERA in the majors this year at 2.45. Ranger Suarez and Jesus Luzardo have been competitive overall, despite having had a handful of shaky starts throughout the season. That all being said, the hole in the rotation will need to be patched up. Each starter will certainly feel mounting pressure in Wheeler's absence. There has been discussion of calling up Andrew Painter, currently playing as a starting pitcher for the Iron Pigs, which for a while did not seem likely to happen until the 2026 season. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Will 2025 be Painter's year?

In a season of 162 games, anything can happen. Despite hitting what seems to be a major roadblock 125 games in, the team appears galvanized, motivated to move forward. Since Wheeler's injury was made public, the Phillies have won three games straight, putting up a total of 29 runs in this stretch.

Fans might recall the 2017 Philadelphia Eagles, who won the Superbowl that year. They lost quarterback Carson Wentz after a season-ending injury, but that did not stop them from pushing through with Nick Foles. That team showed us that in Philly, losing a great player to an injury is no excuse to give up.

Who knows? Maybe losing Wheeler will be the juice the team needs to win it all this year.