PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — The Mets all but encased their starting pitchers in Bubble Wrap early in spring training, hoping that reduced wear and tear would preserve their arms. But pitching injuries seem unavoidable, and the Mets are as vulnerable as any team.
“We came in here saying we’ve got to try to keep these guys healthy,” Manager Terry Collins said.
Fortunately for Collins, the Mets have strength in numbers.
After a relatively healthy start, the Mets’ oft-injured rotation endured its first notable — if perhaps merely temporary — casualty a week before opening day. Steven Matz will not make his next start, which had been scheduled for Monday, because of irritation in his throwing elbow.
Those terms would be alarming for any pitcher, let alone for Matz, who has a history of injuries. But the Mets insisted on Sunday that they were not alarmed by his latest setback.
“We’re not concerned about that,” General Manager Sandy Alderson said. “He’s not pitching tomorrow. That’s really the purpose of this conversation, rather than writing an epitaph.”
While the Mets dealt with the news about Matz’s injury, Collins said he was “very pleased” by the progress of Matt Harvey, who is returning from surgery last summer to alleviate thoracic outlet syndrome, a condition of the neck and shoulder.
Harvey took what he called the biggest step of his spring on Sunday, allowing two runs over six innings while striking out four in an 8-2 win over the Atlanta Braves. The velocity of his fastball, a point of unease earlier in the spring, reached 96 miles per hour in the first inning and hovered around 93 later on. His command and his secondary pitches were also improved.
“I couldn’t be happier, where I am now,” Harvey said. “Moving forward, I feel like I’m ready for a good season.”
As worries about Harvey eased, Matz hit a snag. Alderson said doctors who had evaluated Matz maintained that the discomfort was not related to a ligament; Matz had his ulnar collateral ligament replaced during Tommy John surgery in 2010.
Matz said that doctors had told him the discomfort could be related to the operation that removed bone spurs from his throwing elbow last October.
“I’m not really concerned right now,” Matz said.
Matz had enjoyed a solid spring with typical velocity until he allowed five runs over four innings against the Miami Marlins on Wednesday. After the game, he told the team’s trainers his elbow had been sore before his start.
The situation could become clearer on Monday, when, Matz said, he was scheduled for a long toss. He added that he hoped this was simply a minor setback, but the Mets have no need to rush him. They already have too many starters for too few spots.
Noah Syndergaard, Jacob deGrom and Harvey are assured places in the rotation. And after Sunday’s game, Collins said the rookie Robert Gsellman belonged in the rotation, leaving Zack Wheeler and Seth Lugo to compete for the final spot.
Wheeler missed the past two seasons after Tommy John surgery, and Lugo, an unheralded prospect, helped propel the Mets to the playoffs last season. Both were scheduled to start during the Mets’ split-squad games on Monday.
Collins said that the Mets might simply put their fifth starter in the bullpen during the first week of the season, when they will have extra rest days. He said that Wheeler’s innings limit would not be a factor until later in the season.
Even if Matz recovers, he will still face questions about his health. He has yet to make it through an entire major league season. The bone spurs and a shoulder injury short-circuited his season in 2016. He also sustained a latissimus strain after his call-up in 2015.
“It’s worrisome that he continues to be injured off and on,” Alderson said. “That’s the difficulty.”
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