10:49pm: Noah Syndergaard is also pitching with a spur in his right elbow, Ackert reports. Though he denied that in his comments after his start tonight, multiple other reports suggest that it is indeed an issue, and Mike Puma of the New York Post tweets that the club is not acknowledging the spur at the pitcher’s preference.
Though Syndergaard was working in the triple digits in his outing against the Nationals, he seemed to be struggling with control. The big righty ultimately departed after just three innings of work having allowed a season-high five earned runs and three walks.
Syndergaard recently experienced discomfort that led to an MRI, but was given a clean bill of health. As with Matz, it seems that the spur is mostly a matter of tolerating pain and avoiding changes to mechanics that could lead to broader problems.
It’s important to emphasize that bone spurs are fairly common and aren’t necessarily major concerns if they do not cause ligament issues. And there’s no indication in his case that surgery is on the table at the moment in Syndergaard’s case. Ackert does note that the expectation is that both pitchers will ultimately require procedures — with hopes that they can be delayed until the season is over.
As for Matz, he has been battling through the issue for over a month and has been treated with a cortisone shot at some point, Jon Heyman of todaysknuckleball.com writes. The spur is “not small” and is quite painful, and Heyman suggests that there’s at least some concern that continuing to pitch through it could contribute to a more serious injury. Matz himself is said to be uncertain at this time whether to elect surgery.
4:43pm: Mets southpaw Steven Matz has been diagnosed with a bone spur in his pitching elbow, as Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports on Twitter. The club is not only considering whether or not he’ll make his next start, but is assessing whether a surgical option will be pursued, per Marc Carig of Newsday (Twitter link).
GM Sandy Alderson will participate in a meeting to work through the options, per Carig’s report. The possibility of a procedure is just that at present, as no decisions have been made, but it appears to be very much on the table. While there’s no concern that pitching through the pain would lead to injury, at least directly, the club is said to be concerned that the pain has impacted his performance. Ackert notes that an operation after the season is also a possibility.
In the event that Matz does go under the knife in the near-term, Carig tweets, it would likely be six weeks before he is even able to begin throwing. He’d surely require a throwing program and rehab assignment from that point forward. While a precise timeline is difficult to guess, it could certainly represent a lengthy absence.
Matz had bounced back from a rough first start to post a long string of excellent outings — nine straight, in fact, in which he did not allow more than two earned runs. But things have been somewhat uneven in his three most recent starts, and his last effort set off some alarm bells. Matz not only allowed six earned runs, but failed to record a single strikeout in 4 1/3 innings. Glancing through the excellent Brooks Baseball database, it seems that Matz’s vertical release has dropped over the course of the season, though it’s unclear whether that’s connected at all.
This news represents another red flag for a Mets pitching staff that remains one of the game’s best. But heavy usage last season has, perhaps, shown up in several areas. Jacob deGrom isn’t throwing as hard, Noah Syndergaard has had a balky elbow, and Matt Harvey just hasn’t been his dominant self. The results are still excellent, on the whole, and it surely doesn’t hurt that Bartolo Colon has been magnificent while Zack Wheeler remains on the comeback trail (though the latter has been slowed of late). At the same time, there’s certainly some cause for concern with Matz, in particular — all the more so given that he dealt with lat issues in 2015.
With Syndergaard having missed a day and Harvey having his spot skipped in the rotation recently, are there any internal talks in the Mets organization about acquiring a pitcher or, more likely, bringing up a player from the minors? If the later, who would they call up and would that require a move on the 40-man roster?
Thanks, Jeff.
First option would be to move Logan Verrett into the rotation from the BP.
Next would likely be calling up Rafael Montero .
3rd option and imo best option is to bring up Gabriel Ynoa, their number 1 pitching prospect.
All are on the 40 man.
1. Logan Verrett moves into rotation
2. Call up Rafael Montero
3. Call up Gabriel Ynoa (#1 SP prospect)
All are on the 40 man
Man that stinks for him and the team, even as Braves fan, love seeing the division improve.
Wow
There are more players in the majors with bone spurs than those that don’t have them. Problem is, no two spurs are the alike. Cortisone shot or other anti-inflammatory medicines can sometimes take away most of the discomfort. Definitely don’t want this kid throwing if the spur is causing any fraying of a ligament. If they opt for surgery, rehab to help maintain shoulder strength will quicken recovery process. This kid has a very promising future!!
Looking a lot like Steve Avery still very young but the injuries just keep piling up..
That’s a good comp — I was always thinking Glavine, but he may be too lanky for that comp.
This guy is made of glass.
Wow, when somebody with Jorge Soler in their name says somebody is made of glass they must have serious issues.
Generation K Part II.
This staff has already done a lot more than Gen K ever did.
If making the WS is a lot more, you are right. But the tragedy was the early that injuries ruined their career (although Isringhausen revived it a s a reliever). The injuries and arm troubles that Harvey, Syndergaard, Matz and DeGromm (and Wheeler’s Tommy John) are dealing with are concerning in that same vein.
Maybe the youngsters should go on Colon’s workout plan lol. The old guy seems to be the only one healthy…
cuz colon only throws like 86 mph fastball
I feel like Matz is always down.
This organization is so snake bitten. When are they going to fire Ray Ramirez and improve the strength and conditioning staff?