THE APEX TIMES
Yordan Alvarez of the Astros and Zack Wheeler of the Phillies were named their league’s Comeback Player of the Year after returning from setbacks that cut their 2025 seasons short.
Major League Baseball honored two impact performers as Comeback Player of the Year winners on Wednesday night at the MLB Awards presented by MGM Rewards: Yordan Alvarez in the American League and Zack Wheeler in the National League.
The award recognizes a player who “has re-emerged on the field during the season,” with winners chosen by ’s 30 club beat reporters voting on the 2026 comeback narratives.
Alvarez’s 2025 was derailed by a left-hand fracture that limited him to 48 games and left him at a 118 wRC+. In 2026, he returned with career bests, setting personal highs in games played (158) and home runs (42), while posting a.316/.432/.601 slash line and an 181 wRC+.
Wheeler’s 2025 season had been on track through late August before he was diagnosed with venous thoracic outlet syndrome and underwent surgery that would sideline him for roughly 6-8 months. In 2026, he returned to pitch effectively again, posting a 3.00 ERA and striking out 193 hitters across 162 innings.
The Phillies recognized Wheeler as their second Comeback Player of the Year winner in franchise history, following Brad Lidge in 2008. The Astros similarly made Alvarez the second player from the club to win the award, after Justin Verlander in 2022.
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