Mets News: Zack Wheeler Return Pushed Back

By Kenneth Teape | Jun 4, 2016

Mar 9, 2015; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) throws in the spring training baseball game against the Miami Marlins at Tradition Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Barr-USA TODAY Sports /

New York Mets News: Zack Wheeler’s return from Tommy John surgery has been delayed, as the team decided it would be a better idea to bring him back after the All-Star break instead of before it.

Recent New York Mets news regarding starting pitcher Zack Wheeler will get some fans nervous, but there isn’t really anything to be overly worried about. Wheeler, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, was targeting July 1st as his return date. But, the team has decided to push his return back a couple of weeks to mid-July.

Related Story: New York Most Most Impactful Trades Of Last 20 Years

Whenever a return date is pushed back people will immediately believe that a setback has occurred and more rehab is needed. That is actually not the case with Wheeler, as the team said that there has been no setback, they just figure delaying him would make sense.

Because of the All-Star break, the Mets have decided it would make more sense to bring Wheeler back to the major league club after that instead of bringing him back July 1st and then having an extended rest period because of the four-days off.

More from New York Mets

The only hiccup that Wheeler suffered came back in April. He underwent another procedure on the elbow to remove a stitch that did not dissolve. It was considered a minor procedure to remove the stich, and came a little more than a year after Wheeler had the Tommy John surgery on March 24th, 2015.

Wheeler is actually with the team currently, as the Mets are visiting the Miami Marlins this weekend. Wheeler drove to meet up with his teammates, and will have a 30-pitch bullpen session today with coaches.

Wheeler threw 25 pitches in his last session and said, “Right now, I’m just building up my pitch count.” He also added, “Really the only hiccup so far is that little stitch.”

That is an encouraging sign for Wheeler and the Mets that there has been no setbacks and his rehab is going well. Manager Terry Collins is expecting Wheeler to need the entire 30-day period for his rehab, which makes sense.

The Mets would like to see him build back up his arm strength and pitch count before throwing him into a major league game. It would make little sense to have him starting games if he is able to only give you four-five innings or only 75-80 pitches as it would bring unnecessary tax to the Mets’ bullpen.

Next: 5 Greatest First Baseman In New York Mets' History

If he does take the whole 30-days, which is likely, and the target is mid-July after the All-Star break, Wheeler should begin his rehab assignment in about two weeks. That is the next step in his rehab process as long as he doesn’t suffer any setbacks during his bullpen sessions in the coming weeks leading up to the rehab assignment.

Home/New York Mets