Matt Harvey isn’t ready to concede 2014 to a surgeon’s scalpel.
After receiving a second opinion on the torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow from noted orthopedist Dr. James Andrews, the Mets ace on Tuesday said he will embark on a rehab program instead of immediately undergoing Tommy John surgery that likely would have cost him all of next season.
“I’d rather bet on myself doing the work to stay out of surgery than having it,” Harvey said before the Mets faced the Giants at Citi Field.
The Mets are reluctantly on board with the decision. Harvey is expected — on a date still to be determined — to begin a throwing program that lasts up to six-to-eight weeks, after which he will be reevaluated.
Harvey visited with Andrews on Monday in Gulf Breeze, Fla., and said he was told the ligament, while partially torn, is stable. The right-hander was diagnosed with a partial tear of the UCL by Mets physicians on Aug. 26, after complaining of soreness in his forearm.
“I’ve never had pain in my actual elbow area, where the UCL is,” Harvey said. “For me, it felt like, ‘Why jump into surgery in that situation where I’ve never had the tingling, the numbness, the shooting pain in my elbow that are usually the symptoms of needing that surgery?’ For me, a rehab process, a strengthening process, is the way to go.”
Harvey’s decision to start a throwing program is considered low-risk at this point. If symptoms return, he can be shut down and undergo the surgery that would likely have cost him all of next season, regardless. But the Mets and Harvey could regret the decision to rehab if the pitcher were to arrive at spring training next year and then sustain a setback that potentially has implications for the 2015 season.
General manager Sandy Alderson downplayed the idea Harvey’s decision to rehab will create a dilemma for the organization as it plans for the offseason. As it stands, the Mets are counting on Zack Wheeler, Dillon Gee and Jon Niese for next year. Jenrry Mejia, Noah Syndergaard, Rafael Montero and Jacob deGrom are among the candidates to complete the rotation, with or without Harvey.
But knowing Harvey’s status would make it easier for Alderson to determine how actively he should pursue help, either through free agency or the trade market.
“There is some ambiguity at this point, and maybe through the next couple of months, and maybe ambiguity beyond that,” Alderson said. “I don’t think it’s going to affect our offseason planning as much as has been speculated.
“One thing we have is a great deal of starting pitching depth, some of it untested at the minor league level, but we have a lot of confidence in the quantity and quality of our starting pitching, so hopefully Matt is part of that rotation next year, but if he’s not, I don’t see us working hard to fill his spot from outside the organization.”
The 24-year-old Harvey was 9-5 with a 2.27 ERA in 26 starts this season with 191 strikeouts in 178¹/₃ innings.
Alderson indicated a throwing program will be developed for Harvey within the next few days.
“The one thing you shouldn’t expect is there’s going to be a rigid schedule and there are checkpoints along the way,” Alderson said. “This will be more of a free-flowing start to finish, and we may know nothing over this period of time or we may know something early in the process.
“We don’t believe, even with two months invested in this program, that it will affect 2015 if surgery is ultimately necessary.”