New York Mets: Zack Wheeler suffers another setback
New York Mets Zack Wheeler‘s comeback from Tommy John surgery has been shut down due to soreness in his surgically repaired elbow.
New York Mets starter Zack Wheeler had been working his way back after undergoing Tommy John surgery in March 2015 and things were progressing well until he felt, what manager Terry Collins said was a twinge in his surgically repaired elbow a few days ago. The Mets shut him down immediately and yesterday, Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson told reporters, “All I can say is he’s had a little bit of elbow discomfort. He hasn’t thrown in a couple of days and he’s gonna be seen here in New York tomorrow.” Alderson added that he wasn’t overly concerned and would wait until Wheeler saw the doctors at the Hospital for Special Surgery to comment any further on the matter.
Wheeler was expected to throw an inning in a simulated game with the Mets’ Gulf Coast team this week and instead, he’ll be examined by doctors to see if he can continue with his rehab or if he’s suffered a setback that will further delay his comeback to the Mets’ rotation.
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
Wheeler, who was acquired in the 2011 Carlos Beltran trade with the San Francisco Giants, went 7-5 with a 3.42 ERA in 2013 after making his debut in June of that season. After the 2014 season, in which Wheeler went 11-11 with a 3.54 ERA, the Mets were hoping he’d be a big part of their young starting rotation, but he torn his ulnar collateral ligament during spring training in 2015, and also need to repair a torn tendon in that same elbow.
The 26 year-old right hander suffered a minor setback back in April after he had to get a remaining suture from his Tommy John surgery removed from his elbow. Two weeks ago, Wheeler threw a bullpen session for Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen in Miami and the team said they at the time that they hoped he’d be pitching in rehab games by now. The inning in the simulated game they were hoping he’d throw today would have been his first action on the mound since the April shutdown.
Next: Has Jamaal Charles Lost a Step?
Originally, the New York Mets had hoped Wheeler would be back with the big club by July 1, but with these minor setbacks, it looks less and less likely that he will be back any time soon. The Mets have to hope that this latest bump in the road is only minor.