Matt Harvey‘s struggles and injury issues
Matt Harvey was expected to team up with Noah Syndergaard to give the New York Mets one of the better duos atop any rotation in baseball. While Syndergaard did his part, Harvey struggled when he made it to the mound.
One could see early on that there was something wrong. He did not have his typical velocity and movement, leading to his worst strikeout rate of his career. The command was off, as he would either miss the plate, or be eminently hittable. Yes, Harvey had his moments, but they were few and far between.
Eventually, Harvey was shut down after posting a 4-10 record with a 4.86 ERA and a 1.468 WHiP. Harvey was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome, leading to his being shut down for the rest of the year. This comes after he missed the entire 2014 campaign due to Tommy John surgery.
There is no question that, when healthy, Matt Harvey is among the better pitchers in the game. However, that health is tenuous at best. Two major injuries in four seasons has to be concerning with any player, especially a pitcher that was being counted on to be a key part of the rotation. Can the Mets even consider Harvey a part of the future?
That decision will have to come shortly. Based on his performance when healthy, he should be. But can Harvey enough to force the Mets to keep him?