OH MY ACHING ZACK
WHEELER ALREADY HURTING AND HIS INNINGS LIMIT MAY CAUSE METS MISERY
PORT ST. LUCIE — Zack Wheeler has already hit a pothole in his attempt to rejoin the Mets after nearly two years of rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.
The righty had “tenderness” in his elbow following a recent throwing session, according to pitching coach Dan Warthen, but has not suffered what the Mets deem a setback, as a checkup indicated Wheeler likely has scar tissue in the joint.
Wheeler is expected to play catch Thursday to test the elbow and then throw from the bullpen the following day if there is no discomfort.
“We’re not going to push it because we want to see this kid healthy, and once we get healthy, we want him to stay healthy, so we’ll have kid gloves with him,” Warthen said Wednesday.
Another club official said Wheeler’s discomfort likely stems from exerting himself for the first time since August, when he was shut down in his rehab after a series of setbacks.
The Mets face a dilemma in how to use Wheeler, who is facing a cap in the low-100 innings range for this season, according to Warthen.
Team brass is hesitant to use Wheeler from the bullpen, but also doesn’t want to face a situation in which the pitcher needs to be shut down after t he Al l - St a r bre a k because he’s reached his innings cap.
“A number of us would like to see him go out there every fifth day for 25 starts and put that extra starter in there once a month, l i mit [ Wheeler ] to f ive i nnings, and that puts him for 125 [innings] so we have enough pitches in Sep- tember if we need him,” Warthen said. “Then possibly October and then you can stretch it a little bit from there, but making sure it stays and now he understands that if we say it, now it has to go that way. Five innings would be the max if we had to make him a starter.” And there seems to be concern if Wheeler could handle the mental grind of the bullpen. “I think it would be difficult for him to go out there as a reliever,” Warthen said. “Because if he didn’t have success, I think it would be difficult doing something that he has never done before and having to come back.”
Robert G sell man and Seth Lugo are the other candidates for the No. 5 spot in the Mets’ rotation. Manager Terry Collins indicated this week there is an open competition for the job.
But Gsellman and Lugo are also under consideration for the bullpen should Wheeler be placed in the rotation. According to a club source, the Mets would want to start the season with one of the three pitchers at Triple-A Las Vegas as rotation insurance against an early-season injury.
Last year, Gsellman and Lugo emerged over t he final two months to help carry the Mets to a National League wild-card berth with Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom and Steven Matz all sidelined by various ailments.
Warthen also indicated he is not concerned by Noah Syndergaard’s pronouncement he is looking to throw harder this season. In 2016, the stud righty averaged 98 mph on fastball, which ranked tops in the major leagues among starters.
“As I told Noah [after] I had heard he said this stuff, ‘I don’t care how hard you throw, as long as you stay within your mechanics and the framework we have worked on. If it comes out harder and you’re still doing the same thing, OK, good,’ ” Warthen said.
“He is a man giant anyway, an Adonis as it is. To see that extra weight and I saw him throw a couple of days ago, it’s as free and easy and I remembered his delivery, so [increased velocity] will be a byproduct but it won’t be because he is going to put more effort into it. That will not be allowed.”