The New York Mets have been dealt a major blow before the season begins, as young phenom pitcher Zack Wheeler has a right elbow injury.
Continue for updates.
Wheeler Undergoes Tommy John Surgery
Wednesday, March 25
Mike Puma of the New York Post reported that Wheeler had successful Tommy John surgery.
On March 20, ESPNNewYork.com's Adam Rubin reported that Wheeler expects to return in June of next season and noted that while Marlins pitcher (and Tommy John veteran) Jose Fernandez hasn't reached out, Jacob deGrom has. Wheeler also told reporters that the ligament damage is unrelated to the bony growth in his elbow and the pre-existing torn tendon, according to Rubin.
Dan Toman of theScore provided comments from Wheeler:
Wheeler, who admitted to pitching through pain and bouts of tendinitis during a career-high 185 1/3 innings in 2014, said the UCL tear was independent from the existing torn tendon and calcification in his ailing elbow.
"Honestly," he said, "I’ve had pain in that spot in my elbow since I got drafted, since before I got drafted."
"Every guy who throws hard is eventually going to have it - more than likely," said Wheeler, who averaged the third-highest fastball velocity in the National League last year.
Wheeler Reportedly Had Torn Tendon in Elbow as Well
Thursday, March 19
Marc Carig of Newsday reported that Wheeler didn't just tear his UCL but also a tendon in his elbow:
Before a torn ulnar collateral ligament wiped out Zack Wheeler's season, the Mets worried about a different issue in his troublesome right elbow: a torn tendon.
The tendon tear, a source told Newsday, is what prompted Wheeler to undergo platelet-rich plasma therapy twice this offseason. Doctors hoped the treatment would speed up healing and allow Wheeler to keep pitching. They thought that the rest and the PRP would allow it to calm down," the source said. "And it didn't...For whatever reason, it didn't help, it didn't take."
[...]
Wheeler's elbow ligament, meanwhile, showed no signs of a tear until Saturday. That's when lingering pain prompted an MRI exam on Saturday.
On Wednesday, Wheeler was examined by team doctor David Altchek in New York. According to the source, Altchek confirmed a "pretty substantial" tear of Wheeler's UCL, which had been expected.
Wheeler Has Torn UCL, Surgery a Possibility
Tuesday, March 17
Wheeler's season may be over before it begins.
On March 17, the young pitcher told reporters he was heading to New York, where he'd meet with Dr. Altchek about potential surgery, according to ESPN New York's Adam Rubin:
I know you all have a lot of questions and stuff, but I'm not going to talk until I get Dr. Altchek's input. I'm going up there tonight and will see him tomorrow morning. Once I come back down, I'll talk to you all and give you all the information that you want. But, until then, I just want to make sure that I know everything first -- know all the right facts, instead of just throwing stuff out there.
According to Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News, Wheeler's elbow injury is serious:
Anthony McCarron @AnthonyMcCarronMets announce that Zack Wheeler has a torn UCL and is heading to NY to discuss next steps with team docs.
Mets general manager Sandy Alderson later spoke about Wheeler's status, saying the team believes it is a full tear of the UCL, via Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
Marc Carig of Newsday passed along more of Alderson's comments:
Marc Carig @MarcCarig“The diagnosis is not surprising.” Alderson
Wheeler commented on the diagnosis, via his Twitter account:
Zack Wheeler @Wheelerpro45Thanks for everybody's support and kind words. It's greatly appreciated. Long road ahead #grindtime
Andy Martino of the New York Daily News reported on the severity of the injury:
Well, here is some new information about the severity: According to major league sources, Wheeler was in so much pain late last summer, that he nearly missed an Aug. 20 start at Oakland, after skipping his between-starts bullpen session. His season appeared in jeopardy, but the Mets were able to keep that quiet until now.
Wheeler ended up allowing four runs in 5.2 innings. Seven days later, he dominated the Braves over seven innings. Were Wheeler and the Mets irresponsible? Or did the success against Atlanta validate their decision to continue his season? There might be no absolute truths to be found here; it’s all just guessing.
Alderson also spoke about the symptoms Wheeler experienced leading up to the diagnosis, saying the pitcher had a PRP injection in November, experienced pain in January and underwent an MRI, via Rubin.
The general manager said Wheeler had two offseason MRIs that showed no tear but that the scan might not reveal damage for a ligament that is at risk of tearing but not yet torn, via Rubin.
Alderson also noted that going back to last season, Wheeler would not throw bullpen sessions between starts, via Carig.
The GM also defended how the team used Wheeler despite the symptoms the pitcher experienced, via Anthony DiComo of MLB.com:
Anthony DiComo @AnthonyDiComoAlderson defending #Mets' usage of Wheeler despite warning signs. "There wasn't any reason for him to be treated more cautiously." #Mets
Meanwhile, Rubin suspects season-ending surgery is next for Wheeler and notes the Mets have capable starters heading into the regular season:
Although the Mets have not yet committed to Tommy John surgery, that is the likely treatment for such an injury.
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The Mets do have somewhat of a safety net in terms of the rotation. Dillon Gee, who made 22 starts for the club last season, was poised to get bounced to long relief with Matt Harvey's return this season.
Manager Terry Collins announced following the news that Gee would take Wheeler's spot in the rotation, via Rubin.
Jon Heyman of CBS Sports added the following:
Jon Heyman @JonHeymanwheeler will see the mets team doc to consult but is likely to get a second opinion, which is routine
Wheeler, 24, is one of the most promising pitchers in baseball. He finished the 2014 season 11-11 with a 3.54 ERA, a 1.33 WHIP and 187 strikeouts in 185.1 innings pitched. The Mets leaned on him hard last season—some might argue too hard—and as Carig noted, no other young pitcher in baseball was taxed as much as Wheeler:
Marc Carig @MarcCarigWheeler had 13 starts of 110 pitches or more in '14, most among pitchers age 24 or younger. The next highest had 6:
Yesterday, prior to the injury announcement, Carig provided a statement from Alderson about Wheeler's 2014 workload: "We were comfortable with what we were doing and he was comfortable with what he was doing. And it worked out certainly in the second half of last season, given the way he performed."
At the moment, it appears Wheeler's season is in jeopardy. If he requires Tommy John surgery, he'll be facing a long road to recovery and the Mets will endure a long season without him in the rotation.
Without Wheeler, New York will likely lean on Matt Harvey to lead the rotation.
