The New York Mets will be without star pitcher Matt Harvey through at least the All-Star break due to discomfort in his right shoulder.
Injury concerns continued to pile up for the defending National League champion New York Mets, as the team placed starting pitcher Matt Harvey on the 15-day disabled list on Wednesday according to its official Twitter account.
Matt Harvey has been placed on the 15-Day DL due to discomfort in his right shoulder. RHP Seth Lugo has been recalled from Las Vegas. #Mets
— New York Mets (@Mets) July 6, 2016
As the Tweet indicates, Harvey is feeling discomfort in his right shoulder and will undergo testing while New York kicks off a four-game series against the first place Washington Nationals on Thursday. Harvey could return as soon as July 21, just before the Mets start another key set against the Miami Marlins.
Hopefully for the Mets, the move is just giving Harvey a bit of an extended rest around the All-Star break next week. However, shoulder injuries are always a concern, and Harvey has looked a little off for much of the year.
The Mets caused a stir last year by having Harvey throw over 210 innings in his return from undergoing Tommy John surgery the previous year. This season, Harvey has a career-worst 4.86 ERA (3.49 FIP) with declining strikeout numbers per FanGraphs.com.
In place of Harvey, the Mets called up righty Seth Lugo, who appeared briefly in the Majors as a reliever last week. It’s unclear who will take Harvey’s spot in starting rotation on Saturday, and the Mets can’t afford to be without him for too long with a 3.5 game deficit to make up in the NL East.
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