If Matt Harvey has his way, he will be throwing by the end of the month with the idea of returning to the Mets before the end of the season still firmly in his mind.
“They said I should be able to start throwing four months after the surgery and that’s Feb. 22, and I haven’t had any setbacks,” Harvey, who had elbow surgery in October, told The Post.“I can’t wait. Even if it’s 10 feet, I just want to pick up a ball. As if right now, I don’t see why I wouldn’t be able to do that.”
Harvey, who will be at Port St. Lucie when the other Mets pitchers report on Feb. 15, hasn’t been shy about his desire to pitch before the end of the season, but said he’s aware teammates and others in the organization are concerned he may try to rush back.
“I completely agree that I shouldn’t come back too soon,” said Harvey, who was at an appearance in the Village at a premiere party for MSG Network’s “4 Courses” with JB Smoove.
“I haven’t touched a baseball yet so I don’t know how things are going to go once that happens,” Harvey added. “But if things are still progressing and it shows I’m ready to go and I get cleared, I want to be able to play.”
That goes for whether the Mets are in contention or not.
“If I get to throw a couple of innings in August or September and then have a normal offseason without having to go into next year with all those questions still out there, that would help me significantly,” Harvey said. “I’d love to face hitters to build my confidence up back up and not just jump into a new season having not seen anyone.”
But he knows it likely won’t be up to him.
“In my mind, that’s what I’d like to do instead of just pitching in the fall league,” Harvey said. “But I don’t make those decisions.”