Mets pitcher Zack Wheeler has torn UCL, Tommy John surgery likely

Bad news turned worse for Mets pitcher Zack Wheeler, as discomfort in his elbow turned out to be a torn ulnar collateral ligament. The Mets announced the injury Monday morning, and are now seeking a second opinion, but Tommy John surgery is likely for the 25-year-old righty.

There is no bright side to a major pitcher injury, but the Mets do have whatever the closest equivalent is thanks to their roster construction. Wheeler was promising, but hadn’t broken out yet, and his injury, in the long run, likely means a spot has opened up for one of two talented young arms waiting in the wings. The first of those players is one the best pitching prospects in the game in 22-year-old Noah Syndergaard, and the other is Steven Matz, a prospect who underwent his own Tommy John procedure back in 2010 but has since recovered and shot up the ranks.

Losing Wheeler is a problem, of course, especially since the Mets now have to dip into their depth before the season even begins, but at least they have depth to work with. Dillon Gee will likely end up as the beneficiary to start, with a rotation spot instead of a bullpen one, but once Syndergaard has been in the minors long enough to earn the Mets another year of service time, he could very well get the call. Then, the Mets can get back to trying to trade Gee, or maybe they hold on to him a little longer now that they know Wheeler is out of the picture until maybe mid-2016.

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The Mets have been a little too familiar with Tommy John of late, with ace Matt Harvey just now returning from his own procedure the same spring that Wheeler and reliever Josh Edgin found TJ was necessary to repair their elbows. Given how often Tommy John seems necessary these last few years, it’s hard to believe these two will be the last of this young bunch to need the surgery.

Especially if the Mets are going to act as if elbow injuries aren’t real.

Wheeler made 32 starts for a 79-win Mets team, throwing 185 innings in the process. You can’t say for sure if keeping him active all year led to this moment, but it seems like an awful large risk to take for a team that prides itself on risk-aversion with the kids.