Mets ace Matt Harvey was attempting rest and rehabilitation to repair a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow, but the right-hander has changed course after weeks away from throwing, according to SNY.
Matt Harvey injury: Mets ace will undergo Tommy John surgery
He attempted to rehabilitate without going under the knife, but will now undergo TJ.
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
BREAKING: @SNYtv has learned that Matt Harvey will undergo surgery to repair a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow.
— SportsNet New York (@SNYtv) October 4, 2013
The Mets and Harvey were hoping that a few weeks off and then an offseason program to rebuild his arm strength and heal the area would work, but it wasn't enough, and Harvey will now miss the entire 2014 season. On the bright side, Harvey will be about 18 months removed from surgery (depending on when he has the procedure) by the time Opening Day 2015 rolls around, putting him on the same kind of schedule as, most recently, Red Sox starter John Lackey. As Harvey is younger -- and better -- than Lackey, the chances are good that he'll be back to his old form, or close to it, by the time he's finally back on a big-league mound.
The Mets did not plan to change their offseason plans with Harvey’s injury -- either by avoiding certain free agents or making a trade to replace Harvey for a season -- and the news that he will indeed undergo Tommy John surgery shouldn’t change that.
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