New York Mets Matt Harvey Questionable for Opening Night
When New York Mets starter Matt Harvey last saw the Royals, it was during their comeback victory in Game Five of the World Series to take home the championship. Slated to start on Opening Night, his quest for vengeance may have to wait.
Let us go back to November 1, 2015. New York Mets starter Matt Harvey had thrown eight shutout innings against the Royals, keeping his team’s flagging championship aspirations alive. With a 2-0 lead, Harvey talked his way back into the game, intent on finishing what had started. However, things did not go as planned for Harvey and the Mets, as Eric Hosmer‘s mad dash home tied the game, which Kansas City eventually won in twelve innings.
On Sunday, Harvey was set to begin the 2016 against the very team that ended the Mets 2015 campaign. Tabbed to start on Opening Night in Kansas City, it was a chance for both Harvey and the Mets to extract some bit of vengeance, as they had the potential to ruin Banner Night at Kauffman Stadium. Instead, at least for Harvey, his start is in doubt due to a “non baseball medical issue.”
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Right now, the Mets do not have much information as to the nature of the ailment, which surfaced yesterday morning. On the positive side, they have stated that the issues are not related to his arm, which is a relief for both Harvey and the Mets since he missed the 2014 season recovering from Tommy John surgery.
However, if he is going to miss an extended period of time, the Mets pitching depth will be pushed from the beginning. Zach Wheeler is already on the shelf as he recovers from his own Tommy John surgery, and Harvey’s stellar 2.71 ERA, 1.019 WHiP and 188 strikeouts against 37 walks in 189.1 innings will be difficult to replace. Bartolo Colon has proven to be a fine innings (and donuts, cheeseburgers, hot dogs and pizza) eater, but he is not close to Harvey’s class.
While Harvey’s time in Spring Training is definitely over, there is the hope that he will be ready to face the Royals on Opening Night. This mysterious ailment could well be minor, and be nothing more than a stomach bug or a case of Spring Training-itis. Either way, it certainly behooves the Mets to proceed with caution.
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Hopefully, Matt Harvey will be ready to take the mound for the New York Mets on Opening Night. Given his health concerns, it would be great to see one of the better young pitchers in the game take the mound on Sunday.