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New York Mets: Matz, Lugo will rejoin the starting rotation

By Michael Addvensky

May 17, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; New York Mets manager Terry Collins (10) pulls starting pitcher Matt Harvey (33) from the game in the sixth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
May 17, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; New York Mets manager Terry Collins (10) pulls starting pitcher Matt Harvey (33) from the game in the sixth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports /
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The New York Mets have had to deal with plenty of injuries during the 2017 season. The team’s starting rotation has been hit particularly hard, but is about to get two important pitchers back.

When the New York Mets take on the Atlanta Braves next weekend in Atlanta, they will finally have Steven Matz and Seth Lugo in the starting rotation.

This past weekend, Matz and Lugo both made their final rehab starts. On Saturday night, Matz started for Triple-A Las Vegas.

He allowed five earned runs in 4.1 innings pitched. Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reported that Matz is now scheduled to start next weekend in Atlanta.

Even though Matz’s final rehab start was not very impressive, this does not mean that he is not ready to rejoin the Mets rotation. The start before that one, he tossed five perfect innings for Las Vegas. He recorded eight strikeouts in that game.

Matz has been sidelined for the entire season thus far due to a flexor tendon strain in his left elbow. He missed the final six weeks of the 2016 season because of a bone spur in his left elbow that required surgery.

Lugo also made his final rehab start on Saturday. He had a very solid outing for Double-A Binghamton, striking out eight batters while only allowing one run over seven innings of work.

Lugo has also yet to make a start for the Mets this season. He was diagnosed with a partial tear in the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow near the end of spring training.

The injury occurred shortly after Lugo pitched for Team Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic. The injury originally seemed like it could have been much worse than it ended up being. Fortunately for the Mets, Lugo was able to rehab and make his way back.

Like Matz, he is finally ready to rejoin the Mets.

The Mets desperately need help in the starting rotation, so getting Matz and Lugo back will be huge. The team has been without their ace Noah Syndergaard since late April because he has a partially torn latissimus muscle in his right arm.

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Matt Harvey has stayed healthy, but has struggled tremendously so far this year. In 11 starts, Harvey is 4-3 with a 5.43 ERA. With Harvey having a rough time, Jacob deGrom and Zack Wheeler have stepped up for the Mets.

However, Wheeler has mostly been unable to go deep into games, which means that Mets manager Terry Collins has had to go to the bullpen earlier than he would like to.

Additionally, with Syndergaard, Matz and Lugo all unavailable, Collins has been forced to turn to pitchers like Tommy Milone and Tyler Pill to make starts for his team. For the most part, this has not panned out well for the Mets.

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If the Mets are going to start to turn things around, then their starting pitching is going to have to perform much better than it has so far this season.

Matz and Lugo will be a big part of whether or not the rotation improves. These two pitchers must stay healthy. The Mets will be in much better shape going forward if Matz and Lugo pitch like they did during the 2016 season.

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