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Mets Rumors: Matt Harvey To Have Next Start Skipped?

By Kenneth Teape

May 19, 2016; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets manager Terry Collins (10) take the ball from New York Mets starting pitcher Matt Harvey (33) in the third inning against the Washington Nationals at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
May 19, 2016; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets manager Terry Collins (10) take the ball from New York Mets starting pitcher Matt Harvey (33) in the third inning against the Washington Nationals at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports /
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New York Mets rumors are swirling about starting pitcher Matt Harvey, as he could have his next start skipped.

New York Mets rumors are not overly positive after Thursday nights loss to the Washington Nationals. The Mets lost the rubber game to their NL East rivals as Matt Harvey got shelled in the worst start of his major league career. As a result, there are some talks that he could have his next start skipped to help him figure things out.

Harvey was awful on Thursday night, as his 2016 struggles continued in a big way. Harvey was shellacked by the Nationals, as he surrendered a career-high nine runs, six of which were earned, in a career-low 2 2/3 innings pitched.

As a result of the drubbing, Harvey’s stats on the season are even more of an eye sore. With Thursday’s loss, Harvey now has a record of 3-6 with an ERA of 5.77 and WHIP of 1.66. Opposing hitters have made it look easy against him all season, as they are hitting a robust .325 off Harvey in 2016.

Harvey needs to regroup and figure things out, and one of the ways for that to happen is through sitting out. That is why the idea of having his next start skipped has been broached. Manager Terry Collins gave some insight on the situation after the game.

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“We’re going to take a look — is that best for him, is that best for us?” Collins said. “We’re not going to commit to anything at this time. But I will tell you, as I sit here today, I’d certainly trust him. I certainly believe in him. I hadn’t seen him struggle like this before. But that guy that pitched tonight for them (Stephen Strasburg), he had a couple of mediocre years and now he’s resurged.”

Strasburg, like Harvey, had Tommy John surgery. That surgery is something people think could be catching up with Harvey, as his 216 innings he threw last season are the most ever for a player in their first season after the procedure. It is one of the contributing factors to his struggles this season if you ask Collins.

"“As I tried to explain to Matt again, there’s some people that don’t believe it — this kid went above and beyond last year. And I’m not sure he’s recuperated from it. I’m going to stand by it. It’s not an excuse. We don’t make excuses here. I think it might be a reason. I think there’s a difference between a reason and an excuse. That’s where I stand on it. I’ve told Matt, I still trust him. I still believe in him. I’ve seen him do it. But we’ll take a hard look at what the next move is going to be.”"

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Collins also added that the urinary tract infection that Harvey had during Spring Training could be a factor as well. That threw Harvey out of whack a little bit after already having an abbreviated Spring Training as the team tried to limit his workload after pitching in the World Series.

Harvey does not sound like someone who wants to have his start skipped, as he knows the only way to figure things out is to keep working. “It’s my job to go out there and keep working and try to figure this thing out. That’s all I’m going to do is start over tomorrow and keep working hard and do everything I can to fix this,” Harvey said.

Whatever the issue may be, the Mets need to figure it out. They will have to decide if removing him from the rotation makes sense as a way to get him back on track, or if it is something that he can work through on the mound.

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His next start is slated to come against these same Nationals next week at Nationals Park. Will he be there to make that start? It is anyone’s guess right now, because when there is smoke, such as the chance of him being skipped, there is usually fire not too far off.

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