New York Mets to slow down Matt Harvey’s rehab program?
By Hayden Kane
New York Mets’ ace Matt Harvey has always had designs on returning from Tommy John surgery as fast as possible. In order to allow for the full year it typically takes to rehab a throwing elbow after the operation, Harvey would have to wait until 2015 to pitch in the big leagues again. He has consistently resisted that timetable.
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Will a setback suffered by a Mets’ colleague in his own Tommy John rehab finally be the thing to motivate Harvey to take his foot off the gas? If nothing else, it might be the catalyst for the Mets to slow things down without giving Harvey much of a say in the matter.
Harvey’s teammate Jeremy Hefner might have to undergo an additional reconstructive surgery after he re-injured his elbow during a rehab appearance. That understandably has the Mets weary with Harvey, and they are reportedly considering an option where they would hold off until next year’s spring training before having Harvey pitch in a game.
"On Tuesday, he said the Mets might instead prefer to limit Harvey to throwing bullpen sessions.“The question is whether to truncate [the process in 2014] and whether just throwing bullpens is enough,” Alderson said……Alderson acknowledged that what happened with Hefner is rare and wouldn’t necessarily apply to Harvey’s situation. At the same time, what happened with Hefner has given the Mets another chance to convince Harvey to slow things down."
Harvey had hinted that he wanted the Mets to reach the playoffs so that he could return and pitch in 2014. Admirable though his optimism is, that’s not going to happen and the New York front office will have plenty of incentive to take it slow with their young ace’s rehab.