FRIGHT KNIGHT
Harvey on DL with shoulder circulation scare
Matt Harvey’s frustrating 2016 season took another turn for the worse Wednesday when was placed on the DL with shoulder discomfort. With Harvey headed to St. Louis to meet with a vascular specialist, there is no early timetable for his return.
Matt Harvey’s nightmarish 2016 season got even worse on Wednesday and now there are even more question marks about the Mets’ suddenly fragile rotation.
The right-hander was placed on the 15-day disabled list with right shoulder discomfort following Wednesday’s 4-2 win over Miami. The team announced he had been seen by Mets doctors and will next be examined by Dr. Robert Thompson in St. Louis on Thursday.
Thompson specializes in vascular issues and thoracic outlet syndrome, which, according to a source, is what Harvey is being checked for. Thoracic outlet syndrome occurs when the blood vessels between the collarbone and first rib become compressed causing pain in the shoulders and neck and numbness in the fingers.
Thompson also treated former Met Dillon Gee for a clotting and artery issue in his right shoulder in July 2012. That procedure knocked Gee out for the remainder of the season. No timetable has been given for Harvey.
It’s just the latest setback for Harvey, 27, who is 4-10 with a 4.86 ERA in 17 starts. He was scheduled to pitch again Saturday against the Nationals.
Logan Verrett is expected to start in his place Saturday, but if Harvey is out for an extended period of time, Zack Wheeler won’t be back from Tommy John surgery for at least another month.
The Mets had hoped Wheeler would be ready at the beginning of July, but setbacks have pushed that back to mid-August.
Harvey’s DL stint is retroactive to Tuesday and the team recalled righthander Seth Lugo from Triple-A Las Vegas to replace him on the roster.
Harvey’s last outing was one of his worst and after the July 4 beatdown against the Marlins — which was overshadowed by the Mets’ comeback victory.
Afterward, Harvey and manager Terry Collins pointed to a lack of command — but no physical issues.
“From start to start, things are not feeling the same,” Harvey said at the time.
Harvey had Tommy John surgery in 2013 and his comeback last season was surrounded by innings-limit drama that led to questions about his availability in the postseason. He ended up pitching through the World Series, but hasn’t been the same this year.
He also dealt with a bladder infection this spring, which he said was the result of not urinating frequently enough. He also stirred up more controversy when he refused to speak to the media in the aftermath of his May 24 outing in Washington, which he later apologized for.
Things haven’t gone much better on the mound.
Against Miami, he tied a seasonhigh by giving up 11 hits, as well as six runs, in just 3 2/3 innings.
Harvey seemed to have rebounded from an ugly first two months. His ERA topped out at 6.08 on May 24 and he then went on a five-start stretch in which he pitched to a 2.25 ERA.
Then came the outing in Washington, when he pitched well again before being pulled after a lengthy rain delay, and the July 4 disaster.
“You go through ups and downs,” Harvey said following that game. “Unfortunately, this year, there’s been more downs than there are ups. But we’ve still got a long way to go and a lot more starts left, so we’ll kind of go back to the drawing board, like I have many times, and figure out how we can go back to the Washington start for that brief time and figure out how to keep that going.”
Clearly, that’s a more complicated task now. And it doesn’t help that Steven Matz and Noah Syndergaard are both dealing with bone spurs in their elbows, further weakening the effectiveness of the rotation.