USA TODAY International Edition
Mets shut down Harvey
UCL tear could need surgery
All- Star Game starting pitcher Matt Harvey desperately wants to stay out of the operating room. Monday’s diagnosis, though, makes surgery a distinct possibility.
An MRI on the New York Mets righthander revealed Harvey has a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow. Tommy John ligamentreplacement surgery is an option, though a decision might not come down for a few weeks, if not months.
The development could represent a devastating blow to the Mets’ plans to build around a dominant 1- 2 combination in their rotation.
“When I heard the news, I was pretty shocked,” Harvey said. “I’m still very optimistic. I’m going to do everything I can so I don’t have to get surgery.”
The other alternative is rehab, but partial tears often end up requiring surgical repair.
Harvey, the National League leader in strikeouts with 191, said he had been experiencing forearm discomfort for some weeks but didn’t think it was anything more than the usual soreness.
It wasn’t until Saturday, when he gave up a career- high 13 hits in 62⁄3 innings in a 3- 0 loss to the Detroit Tigers, that he felt something might be wrong. He reported fatigue, which the club planned to address by having him skip a start, get extra rest in between outings and reduce his bullpen sessions. He said he never felt any shooting pain.
Manager Terry Collins said that outing was the first indication Harvey might be hurt, though his fastball was hitting the 96- to 97- mph range. “It’s not like the velocity was down,” Collins said. “I just didn’t see the crispness and stuff.”
Harvey’s first full season, which began with such high hopes as he won his first five decisions and piled up strikeouts, is over after 26 starts and 1781⁄3 innings. He finishes with a 9- 5 record and a 2.27 ERA.
The bigger question is whether Harvey will pitch in 2014. Recovery from Tommy John surgery typically takes a year, so the Mets might not have their staff ace to pair with promising rookie Zack Wheeler next season.
“This is not a career- ending injury,” general manager Sandy Alderson said. “In terms of our timetable, it certainly will have an impact. We’re fortunate we have a lot of pitching depth in our organization.”
But there are few like Harvey, who burst on the scene with a 2.73 ERA in 10 starts last season, then quickly became one of the majors’ top pitchers this year.
The Mets had him skip the start before the All- Star Game as a precaution, and Alderson said the club was going to limit Harvey, 24, to about 210 innings.
Harvey and the Mets will have a clearer idea of the injury’s extent when the swelling in his forearm subsides in the next week or two. A decision on surgery might be further delayed if Harvey opts for rehab.