It will be one missed start and counting for Jon Niese.
The Mets scratched their valuable left-hander from tomorrow’s start in Miami and possibly beyond, as Niese is suffering from tendinitis in his shoulder. Manager Terry Collins said yesterday Niese will be out “at least” one start and then be re-evaluated. Niese believes he will be able to make his next turn.
“Hopefully rest will cure it,” Niese said. “I’m almost positive that it will.”
The Mets will use righty long man Collin McHugh to replace Niese. Prized phenom Zack Wheeler makes sense because he last pitched on Monday for Triple-A Las Vegas and would be able to start tomorrow. Collins, however, dismissed that notion, saying he was never a candidate.
The presumable logic is the Mets wouldn’t want to summon Wheeler for one start. Also, while the righty is slated to arrive in the majors in early June, the Mets would presumably want to wait until after the Super-2 cut-off (believed to be around June 10).
“There was no consideration [to using Wheeler on Saturday],” Collins said. “None.”
However, should Niese be sidelined for longer than a start, it would figure Wheeler could become an option. The 26-year-old Niese was examined yesterday morning, with an MRI exam revealing the inflammation. Niese was relieved that was the injury’s extent.
Niese has been suffering from the tendinitis recently, but he said the shoulder did not cause any pain during his starts and, rather, hurt in the span between his outings. Collins said Niese was a “lot sorer” after Monday’s start against the Yankees in which Niese fired seven innings of one-run ball.
Niese plans to rest for three to four days and have his next throwing session on Tuesday when the Mets are in Washington. If he only misses the one start, that would make the tendinitis a minor issue. But it’s certainly possible that the 26-year-old will need more time to recover.
Niese, the Mets’ Opening Day starter, is 3-5 with a 4.40 ERA on the season. In his last three starts, he has been terrific, posting a 1.33 ERA over 20 1/3 innings. While Matt Harvey is the team’s ace, Niese is its second-best starter. So if he’s absent from the rotation for a bit, it would be a sizeable blow.
Niese missed the final two months of 2009 with a torn hamstring and the final month-plus of 2011 with a strained side. But he has been durable, making 30 starts in 2010, 26 starts in 2011 and 30 starts last season. He’s in the second-year of a five-year deal worth $29.5 million.
McHugh has pitched in two games this season, both in relief. He’s 0-4 in 10 games (four starts) in the majors in his career, with a brutal 8.14 ERA.