LOS ANGELES — Mets ace Matt Harvey is totally prepared to undergo elbow surgery, his agent Scott Boras said, and really has done his homework on the Tommy John procedure.
“The thing is that he gave it time and he had repeated conversations with the doctors, and did a very thorough analysis and I think in the end the doctors agreed that this is something that Matt ought to do,” Boras told The Post. “He looked closely at all the information that was given him and made his decision.”
No date has yet been set on the surgery, but it could come within the next two weeks. The Mets announced on Friday that Harvey would have the surgery. The tear to Harvey’s ulnar collateral ligament was to such a degree that surgery was, in the end, the only option, especially with Harvey being a power pitcher. But Harvey wanted to look at all alternatives and had to work through the process before opting for the surgery, which will be done by Dr. James Andrews.
Harvey, 24, will miss the 2014 season. A rehab and core strengthening plan is in place, much like the one Stephen Strasburg, also a Boras client and power pitcher, went through after he had elbow surgery. Strasburg made a complete recovery from his September 2010 surgery and struck out the same number of batters this year as Harvey (191) in his 30 starts for the Nationals.
This past season was a breakout season for Harvey, who finished 9-5 with a 2.27 ERA and those 191 strikeouts over 178 1/3 innings. He started the All-Star Game and burst onto the celebrity scene, dating model Anne V.