New York Mets: Matt Harvey Faces Surgery; Returns to DL
By Ron Juckett
New York Mets starting pitcher Matt Harvey faces possible season-ending surgery if diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome.
UPDATE 4:40 ET: New York Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson told reporters Thursday afternoon Matt Harvey’s symptoms matched thoracic outlet syndrome and a final decision on treatment will come before the All-Star break.
The New York Mets placed starting pitcher Matt Harvey on the disabled list Wednesday. Although shoulder discomfort is the reason, the team fears the ace is suffering from thoracic outlet syndrome.
Thoracic outlet syndrome is rare in athletes. Essentially, the blood vessels and nerves compress, in this case his right shoulder, causing considerable pain. Others who have been treated recently are Minnesota Twins pitcher Phil Hughes and Kansas City Royals hurler Chris Young.
Harvey will be examined by Dr. Robert Thompson in St. Louis to confirm the diagnosis and see if surgery is needed. If it is, Harvey would miss the rest of the 2016 season.
For the Mets, losing Harvey would be catastrophic. With long-term injuries to third baseman David Wright and first baseman Lucas Duda—along with Zack Wheeler behind schedule coming off Tommy John surgery—the team is down a few key players. As they try to hold on to their position in the National League Wild Card race and chase the Washington Nationals in the NL East, replacing Harvey’s ability will be difficult.
Along with Harvey and Wheeler sidelined, Steven Matz has complained of forearm tightness. The road to repeating as NL champions becomes steeper.
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There is good news for the team and Harvey, though. If he needs surgery he will be ready to go next spring. The bad news is that this is his second long-term injury. Harvey missed all of 2014 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. In his four seasons with the Mets, he has yet to top 30 starts a year. No longer a prospect, Harvey turns 28 next March.
This season has been a struggle. With a 4-10 record and an ERA of 4.86, he has been off his game all year. After a rocky May where he went 2-4 posting an ERA of 5.91, the press guessed what was wrong. Bad performances against the Colorado Rockies and Nationals sent jitters through Queens. His fastball topped out at 92 and his sliders were being crushed. Harvey labored on the mound, looking gassed as early as the fourth inning. Something was not right, but he and the Mets insisted Harvey was healthy.
June was better. Not with the 0-3 record, but the ERA dipped to 2.83. For the first time this year, he threw more innings than hits allowed, 28.2 to 25. After two months of horrible BABIP—a whopping .360 in April and .357 during May—the number fell to a more respectable .301 in June. On the outside, it looked as if he turned the corner. Instead, we now know he pitched in incredible pain.
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Although Seth Lugo takes his place on the roster, the Mets will be hard pressed to replace Harvey, even a wounded one. With a rotation full of potential aces, he embraced the role of becoming Gotham’s “Dark Knight.” Logan Verrett grabs the spot in the rotation for now. His WHIP of 1.500 is better than Harvey’s 1.468 but the comparisons end there.
If the Mets can weather this and return to the World Series, it may be as big of a miracle as 1969.