Matt Harvey will start for Mets on Friday night
After being scratched from a start and suspended, Matt Harvey will be back on the hill for the New York Mets Friday night.
A bizarre, injury-riddled season for the New York Mets got weirder on Sunday, when Matt Harvey was scratched from his scheduled start and suspended for three days. Any miscommunication about his absence on Saturday rests on Harvey, as the player and essentially an employee, so some discipline seems warranted even if the situation is ultimately a bad look for everyone.
Harvey will return to the team on Tuesday, and Mets manager Terry Collins said it’s up to the pitcher if he addresses his teammates as a group or individually. Harvey and agent Scott Boras may also file a grievance against the Mets.
Harvey’s return to the mound for the Mets is a matter of when, not if, and he’s eligible to return from his ban Wednesday against the San Francisco Giants. But he will instead take his next turn in the rotation on Friday night against the Milwaukee Brewers, as would have been the case if Harvey had started on Sunday.
Harvey starting Friday.
— Marc Carig (@MarcCarig) May 8, 2017
Mike Puma of the New York Post was first to report indications Harvey would start on Friday night, and he has added a couple extra reasons for the decision.
Two factors in not starting Harvey on Wednesday: Team wants him to throw a side session first. And they want to avoid hostile environment.
— Mike Puma (@NYPost_Mets) May 8, 2017
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Quite frankly, a break from pitching may do Harvey a lot of good. Over his last two starts, he has allowed 12 runs on 13 hits over a total of 9.2 innings. Add in eight walks and just three strikeouts over that span, and based on his injury history, Harvey’s health automatically becomes a concern. Over his first four starts Harvey went at least six innings three times while allowing three runs or less in all four outings with a 17:5 K/BB ratio.