Wheeler can only stall so long as Mets await Noah
ARLINGTON, TX. — Noah Syndergaard made it clear Thursday morning he isn’t coming back anytime soon. Tuesday night, it was obvious Jacob deGrom is still out there searching for his form. Friday night, the Mets just hope that Matt Harvey takes a step back toward the path he was on before Thoracic Outlet Syndrome derailed him. At this point, with their injury history already thus far in 2017, Steven Matz and Seth Lugo are just question marks making their first starts of the season.
In the meantime, the Mets have an uncomfortable reality to deal with: their rotation is being held together right now by a guy they are going to have to shut down before the season is over. The unlikely ace, Zack Wheeler, is the steadiest of the Mets’ much-ballyhooed rotation, but coming off a setback filled, twoyear rehab from March 2015 Tommy John surgery, he is nearly halfway t o his projected innings limit.
Wheeler has a 3.45 ERA in 11 starts this season, pitching 62.2 innings. The Mets have been diligent about keeping to whatever innings limit they projected for Wheeler. Because his rehab from Tommy John was so unusually long, the Mets have said they did not come into the season with a hard-set innings limit.
“It’s going to be based on how he feels, what we see,” Mets assistant GM John Ricco said earlier this season. “We just don’t have a lot of evidence to go on with his type of comeback, so we’re kind of taking it as we go.”
But the general thought in spring training was that Wheeler would be held to 130 innings or so. Industry sources speculate that Wheeler could be pushed to 140 innings.
Either way, this will likely not be a public drama. Wheeler has been pretty agreeable to the plans the Mets have for him in his rehab and there is unlikely to be a public battle between his agent and the team over when he is shut down.
So the Mets are not yet focused on strictly managing Wheeler’s workload.
“He’s pitching well. That’s something we’ll have to talk about at some point,” Ricco said Tuesday. “I don’t think we’re there yet.”
But as the Mets have found out this season — and should have learned last season — it’s never too early to plan for problems with the pitching staff.
They have already lost Syndergaard for an extended period of time. Syndergaard, who since tearing his right lat muscle has had plenty of time to do promotional appearances like Thursday’s on WFAN’s Boomer and Carton Show, said he “won’t be able to pick up a ball for quite some time.” The optimistic projection is that Syndergaard could return later next month.
Matz and Lugo, who began the season on the disabled list, missed the first 58 games with unforeseen injuries. Matz, who has had a long laundry list of injuries, began the season on the DL with elbow discomfort. When he makes his season debut Saturday, reportedly healthy and ready to go, he could give the Mets another solid starter — if he stays healthy.
The same possibility and Matt Harvey (4-3, 5.43) vs. Julio Teheran (5-4, 5.40). 7:30 p.m. SNY Robert Gsellman (5-3, 5.53) vs. Sean Newcomb (0-0, 0.00) 1 p.m. SNY Steven Matz (33, 3.72) vs. TBA 6 p.m. Ch. 11 Seth Lugo (0-0, 0.00) vs. Jaime Garcia (2-4, 3.21) 1:30 p.m. SNY question hang over Lugo, who was diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament on Opening Day. The righthander, who was solid last season stepping into a rotation decimated by injuries, is trying to avoid Tommy John surgery with strengthening exercises, a throwing program and a platelet-rich plasma treatment.
Both of their performances will weigh heavy on the Mets season, but they cannot be asked to be the season saviors.
“They can only go out and do what they do,” Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen said. “They know that they can’t control anything that has happened or that is outside their start. They have to go out and hit their spots, repeat their mechanics GETTY and control what they can control.”
But their performances this weekend will likely play a part in how the Mets can manage Wheeler’s season.
The Mets’ solution right now to not only managing Wheeler’s workload, but potentially helping the rest of the starters like Harvey and deGrom get back on track, is going to a six-man rotation. That will let both Matz and Lugo ease back in. It will also buy them time to get Syndergaard back, to get deGrom and Harvey on track and to keep Wheeler going as long as he can this season.
But the clock is ticking and the Mets need to get the rest of their rotation in order before Wheeler faces his limit.