The New York Mets are likely to shut down right-hander Matt Harvey when he reaches the 200-inning plateau next month, reports Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.
Mets rumors: Matt Harvey likely to be shut down after 200 innings
The young phenom appears to be just a handful of starts away from his innings limit for the year.
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The Mets have not made any public declarations that Harvey’s wall will be the two-century mark, but the “working assumption,” per DiComo, is that the team will sit him at that point. Harvey was shut down after 169⅓ innings last season, so upping that by 30 innings seems as good a place as any to pull the plug.
M's A Fit for Ellsbury?
A homecoming of sorts could be in store for Ellsbury this fall. Harvey, 24, is sitting at 159⅔ innings pitched through 23 starts on the year. If he continues at his average pace of about seven innings per outing, he’s likely to reach the 200-inning plateau after six more starts. The young right-hander is scheduled to start Tuesday night in Los Angeles, so if he sticks to regular rest from there he will reach his limit by the second week of September.
The Mets are not in contention this season, so while the act of purposefully putting the team’s most exciting player on the sidelines may be disappointing, it’s not like they’re pulling a Strasburg. If the club does indeed shut Harvey down at 200 innings, it’s likely he will have no innings limit at all next year.
Harvey has taken the National League by storm in his first full season with the Mets, amassing a 2.09 earned-run average and a league-best 10 Ks per nine on the year. The first-time all-star also boasts the best WHIP (0.858) and the most strikeouts (178) in the senior circuit.
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