The Phillies broke camp in Clearwater, Florida, on Monday afternoon and the Lehigh Valley IronPigs headed north, too.

The Pigs headed for Coca-Cola Park, where they had a workout Tuesday and then met with the media to talk about the upcoming season that began last night at home. The Toledo Mud Hens, the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, are in town for a three-game weekend series that promises a lot of excitement.

Early in the week news broke that starter Zack Wheeler would be making his first rehab start of the season Saturday night with Lehigh Valley. The 35-year-old underwent surgery to repair a condition known as thoracic outlet syndrome, which causes either nerves or blood vessels to become compressed between the collar bone and the first rib.

In Wheeler’s case it caused a blood clot that was surgically removed. The next step was to repair the condition which involves removing the first rib, which Wheeler decided to ask for – and was given - as a souvenir. Never one to miss a marketing opportunity, the IronPigs will feature “Rehab Ribs,” an all you can eat barbecued ribs buffet in the Tiki Terrace in left field.

On Thursday it was announced that reliever Orion Kerkering would also be coming to Lehigh Valley for a rehab assignment. He had a hamstring injury early in camp that lingered long enough that it prevented him from getting enough work in to start the season. It is expected that he will also pitch Saturday night.

Manager Anthony Contreras, who became the winningest manager in IronPigs history last season, will set a new mark this season. Contreras is the first manager to hold the job with the IronPigs for five seasons.

Contreras has a slightly different type of team than he had last season. The squad doesn’t feature as many homegrown players as last year’s team and has fewer highly rated prospects on the roster. Having to become familiar with some new players is all a part of the job according to Contreras.

“I don’t think it’s different. I just think it’s another challenge, another group of guys; that’s Triple-A in a nutshell. I got to see a lot of these guys in big league camp, and we have some homegrowns that are coming through the system that are getting an opportunity to play here in Lehigh,” said Contreras. “I’m excited. I think it’s a good group.”

The roster has nine guys who spent at least a little time with the ‘Pigs last season, but the rest are new faces.

SIMPLY THE BEST ... The day kicked off with the official announcement that Coca-Cola Park was named the best Minor League Ballpark in America by USA Today. The IronPigs led minor league baseball in total attendance for the third straight season last year. They also led in average attendance of 8,242 per game. Over its lifespan, Coca-Cola Park and the IronPigs have averaged over 8,500 fans per game – tops in the country since their inception in 2008.

HAZARDOUS DUTY PAY ... Major League Baseball is enforcing the rule that base coaches must be positioned within the coach’s box, which will also affect the minors.

Many coaches, particularly on the third base side, tend to stand further down the line than where the end of the box is located because balls hit to that area come in hard and fast. Many major league coaches have voiced their concerns, but so far, MLB is sticking to its decision.

Contreras, who coaches third base, is one of those concerned with the rule.

“Even when I stand farther back, it’s a little nerve-racking because of how hard these guys can hit it. I got to see Dusty (Wathan) and Paco (Figueroa) in big league camp to see what they were working with. I’ll be working my way back toward the dugout to stay out of harm’s way, but sometimes you can’t avoid it. I’m just going to have to make adjustments and hope that I don’t get hit.”

WELCOME BACK, GRIFF ... At one time, Griff McGarry’s name was mentioned right alongside pitching prospects like Andrew Painter and Mick Abel. The right-hander has run into command issues and has been back-and-forth between the bullpen and the rotation, and spent most of last season back at Double-A. McGarry was claimed by the Washington Nationals in the Rule 5 Draft last December but had to be offered back to the Phillies when he didn’t make the Opening Day roster. “I was excited (to be selected),” he said. “It was a great opportunity for me to make a big league club, and I was excited to experience something new and I had a lot of support from both sides, which was also great.”

McGarry pitched just 5 2/3 innings in spring training before being returned and walked five batters.

INJURY UPDATE ... Eventually, Lehigh Valley will have some reinforcements coming. Top prospect Aidan Miller, first baseman Keaton Anthony, outfielder Gabriel Rincones Jr., and pitcher Daniel Robert are all injured. Miller had dealt with a back issue that kept him out of the final few games last season when he arrived in Lehigh Valley and is still sidelined by the issue.

Anthony broke a bone in his foot in spring training and will miss the first couple months of the season.

Rincones has been out all spring with a nagging knee injury.

Robert is the most serious of the group. The right-hander collapsed in Clearwater last October after throwing a bullpen session and needed an Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator (ICD) to cure a heart arrhythmia. He was cleared to pitch last week but collapsed again on Sunday following another bullpen session. The issue was in how the ICD was programmed and doctors made adjustments that they believe will cure the issue. It’s not clear when any of the injured players will be cleared to play.