The New York Mets will not place pitcher Matt Harvey under an innings cap this season, allowing him to pitch into the playoffs, according to ESPN.com's Adam Rubin.
It's his first year back from Tommy John surgery, which sidelined him for the entire 2014 season. Harvey, who has pitched 166.1 innings in 2015, has seen his agent, Scott Boras, advocating for a limit of 180.
Rubin reports that Boras is not alone in those sentiments: "Dr. James Andrews, who performed Harvey's Tommy John surgery on Oct. 22, 2013, has recommended Harvey throw no more than 180 innings this season. Another expert, Los Angeles Dodgers team doctor Neal ElAttrache, has recommended a cap of 165 to Boras."
“I’m sort of caught in the middle of it,” Andrews said, per Tyler Kepner of the New York Times. “That’s their business. They both know what I’ve said, and I don’t want to get into it. The main thing is to do what’s best for Matt’s career. He really wants to play, and they’re in the playoffs. But it’s their problem.”
"Three rival GMs say Dr. Andrews does not prescribe set limits post-Tommy John. 'He always says to watch and go on a case by case,' one says," according to Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal.
The New York Post's Mike Puma reported on Friday that Mets general manager Sandy Alderson had chosen not to listen to Boras, or anyone else for that matter:
However, Rosenthal spoke with Alderson on Saturday morning to receive clarity on the situation and noted that Alderson said, "Dr. Andrews gave him no absolute limit on Harvey, said there was no need for an absolute limit."
"Alderson said Andrews talked about avoiding fatigue of season and not disrupting Harvey’s rhythm if he intended to pitch in playoffs," per Rosenthal. Rosenthal finally noted, "Drs. Andrews, El Attrache, Altchek all disagree on limit," after stating from Alderson that “he didn’t say 180 was the number. He was not categorical at all.”
Mets assistant GM John Ricco said Harvey will have "reasonable" innings in the postseason, depending on how he feels, via Rubin.
Boras, one of the biggest agents in the business, spoke with CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman about Alderson's decision:
This is not a dispute between between representative and player, and club. This is about a doctor providing expert medical opinion regarding the safety and well being of the player. If the club chooses to violate the ethical standard of the medical opinion, that is strictly their prerogative. I'm not a medical doctor. I don't make these things up.
New York, which holds a six-game lead in the National League East over the Washington Nationals, skipped Harvey's turn in the rotation Aug. 23 and will do so one more time this month, according to Rubin's sources. Rubin also reported that the Mets will go to a six-man rotation to help cut down on Harvey's innings.
The 26-year-old might need a bit of rest, as he was laboring in his last start against the Philadelphia Phillies on Sept. 2. He allowed four runs on nine hits in 6.1 innings and, according to Rubin, was "experiencing dehydration and weakness" after his outing.
Behind Harvey, a stellar pitching staff and the acquisition of outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, the Mets are flirting with the postseason for the first time since 2006. And it seems management is approaching this with a win-now mentality.
Craig Calcaterra of HardballTalk.com provided his thoughts on the best way to approach the situation:
If I were Alderson, I’d be pretty loathe to give Boras the time of day on this stuff. I’d talk to my pitcher and ask him his thoughts and, assuming he’s wired the same way every other athlete is wired, I’d assume he’d be on board with doing whatever is in the Mets’ best interests to win a championship this year. Which is totally within this team’s grasp.
The team's actions with Harvey point toward its desire to finish off the Nationals, preseason favorites to win the NL East, as quickly as possible.
The Mets will need Harvey to do so, especially with his next start scheduled for Sept. 8 against Washington. The rest of the staff, while talented, is either too inexperienced (Noah Syndergaard) or inconsistent (Jon Niese, Bartolo Colon). Harvey, along with Jacob deGrom, should give the rotation the confidence to move forward and help the Mets clinch a playoff berth.
Follow Joe Pantorno (@JoePantorno) on Twitter. Stats courtesy of MLB.com.
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