Mets could activate Steven Matz after tomorrow’s rehab start
By Tim Haberin
Steven Matz might be back with the New York Mets a bit sooner than expected. Tomorrow’s rehab outing could be his final tune-up before rejoining the team.
Less than two months into the season and the New York Mets‘ starting rotation has already been battered by injuries. It’s regrettably familiar ground for the club, but they could be getting back one of their key arms sooner than expected.
Left-hander Steven Matz is scheduled to make a rehab start tomorrow for Triple-A Las Vegas. According to David Lennon of Newsday, Matz could be activated from the disabled list after that start if everything goes well.
Help could be on way soon. #Mets open to promoting Steven Matz after Tues start for Triple-A Vegas — if performs well and feels ok.
— David Lennon (@DPLennon) May 22, 2017
Matz has yet to pitch for the Mets in the 2017 season due to a flexor tendon strain in his left elbow. He made his first rehab outing last Thursday, allowing one run on two hits and two walks over three innings for High-A St. Lucie. He threw 53 pitches in the start.
The original plan was for Matz to make two more rehab appearances before being called up by the Mets, per MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo. This updated timetable would nix the third start and possibly have Matz back with the big league squad before the end of May.
New York could certainly use some reinforcements in its rotation. In the biggest blow to the team’s chances, Noah Syndergaard has a partially torn right lat muscle and could potentially be sidelined until August. Seth Lugo has a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow and is not expected back until June.
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While Jacob deGrom (3.56 ERA) and Zack Wheeler (3.74 ERA) have done a fairly good job of holding down the fort, Matt Harvey – though seemingly healthy after last year’s thoracic outlet syndrome – has been erratic, to the tune of a 5.56 ERA. Robert Gsellman has also struggled, the owner of a 6.75 ERA in 10 outings, seven of them starts. Tommy Milone and Rafael Montero have made spot starts, to little avail.
Matz, who turns 26 next week, has been a strong performer for the Mets since making his major league debut in June of 2015. In 28 career starts, he holds a 3.16 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 3.98 K/BB ratio. Last year he finished sixth in NL Rookie of the Year voting, posting a 118 ERA+ over 132.1 innings.
The Mets would obviously like to have Matz back in the fold as soon as possible, but is a good idea to speed up his return? Given their, ahem, questionable track record dealing with injuries, you would hate to see him return only to re-aggravate something and go back on the shelf.
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However, a difference of one rehab start is what is in question here. If Matz’s outing tomorrow is convincing and he feels good physically afterward, it might be worth a shot to bring him up. With the injuries, inconsistency and the looming innings-count on Wheeler, the Mets’ rotation could use a boost sooner rather than later.