Fab Five finally taking a spin
WASHINGTON— It’s ironic actually. For years, the Mets’ dream of a rockstar rotation featuring their five young, hardthrowing pitchers was deferred by injuries. This time, an injury will finally bring the one-time Mets’ dream rotation of Five Aces back together.
After one start in Triple-A, Zack Wheeler is heading to rejoin the big league club. With Jason Vargas still on the disabled list, Wheeler, who was demoted to the minors at the end of spring training, will make the start Wednesday for the Mets at the Marlins, Mickey Callaway announced.
“I think that the feedback we got, the confidence was there, he was feeling really good physically,” the Mets manager said Sunday. “His slider was wipeout and he was just throwing and challenging every hitter he faced.
“He is in a really good spot confidence-wise and ready to go.”
The Mets decided to go with Wheeler, who had been sent to Triple-A after losing a battle for a rotation and roster spot in spring training, over pulling Seth Lugo out of the bullpen. Lugo has pitched will in two appearances in relief this season and Callaway said they want to keep him there.
So after it seemed the rotation that Mets fans had been dreaming about since they first saw Matt Harvey in 2012 and heard about Wheeler, Noah Syndergaard, Jacob deGrom and Steven Matz will get at least one turn through the rotation this week.
“That will be fun, will be fun to see,” said Callaway, before asking a little incredulously, “They’ve never pitched one time through together?”
For all we’ve heard about the Mets’ rotation, it is hard for someone who hasn’t been around the team like Callaway to believe that it never came together before. Remember in early 2016 spring training when the Mets were posting pictures of the Five Aces together? Or how about last spring when MLB used the “The Boys from Queens” in the promo commercials for the 2017 season?
All that hype, but the reality was washed away one injury at a time.
It was first crushed by Harvey’s Tommy John surgery in 2013 and then Wheeler’s own Tommy John surgery in 2015. They lost the 2016 season with Wheeler’s setback-filled rehab, but there was a glimmer of hope that it could all come together in spring 2017. That crashed at the end of camp when Matz was shut down with elbow pain that eventually led to surgery to move his ulnar nerve at the end of the season.
Now, for one week at least, the Mets will start their Five (former) Aces. Injuries and time may have worn down some of the impact, but it will be fun to see what they can do.
So enjoy it now Mets fans, because the Mets’ don’t know what will happen. Callaway would not say if this is just a quick trip back to the big leagues for Wheeler, or a return after fixing the issues that had him demoted this spring.
“We just have to kind let him pitch on Wednesday and go from there,” Callaway said. “We’re not sure Vargas’ timetable, etc. You know a spot start, or whatever you want to call them, turn into fiveyear careers sometimes, because you never know what's going to happen.
“We’ll just bring him up on the 11th and go from there.” hey signed Vargas this spring as protection for the rotation because the other starters have been so injury-prone. He fractured the hamate bone in his right (glove) hand late in spring training and had to have surgery to remove the bone. He is unable to field balls or catch hard-thrown balls yet, but has maintained his throwing arm. He threw six innings of a simulated game Saturday, but Callaway said Sunday that he expects that he will need a minor league rehab game before he can return.
That gives the Mets fans at least 10 days to dust off the Five Aces posters and talk about the “Boys from Queens” one more time.
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