The Mets had been without Matz since the middle of August
Mets left-handed pitcher Steven Matz will undergo elbow surgery and is out for the remainder of the season, the team said Tuesday.
Matz had already been all but ruled out for the year due to a shoulder impingement that’s kept him out since Aug. 15.
He had also been pitching with a bone spur for the majority of the season. And it’s that spur that will be surgically removed.
The ‘good news’ here is that Matz’ shoulder is structurally sound and should get better with rest. Shoulder surgery for pitchers can be extremely serious. In the case of former-Met Johan Santana, it basically ended his career.
Matz, 25, had a 3.40 ERA and 1.21 WHIP while striking out 129 and walking 31 in 132.1 innings pitched (22 starts) this season.
In the time between the Mets hinted they’d announce something about Matz and the time the news came out, most feared this ‘announcement’ meant something more serious.
Thankfully for Matz and the team, it was basically a confirmation of what we already knew: Matz won’t pitch again this year.
And with him unable to return due to the shoulder issue, it made no sense to wait any longer to get the elbow surgery done.
The surgery part had been known since earlier this season, when it was first revealed that Matz was pitching with a painful bone spur in his elbow. The question wasn’t if he’d have it removed, but when.
With Matz getting that surgery out of the way now, he should be ready well in advance of Spring Training.
As far how this impacts the team, it means that both Robert Gsellman and Seth Lugo will likely be needed as starters throughout the playoffs should the Mets make it.
Losing Matz hurts, but both Gsellman and Lugo have stepped up so far.
Now it’s up to Noah Syndergaard, Bartolo Colon, and the bullpen to keep shouldering the majority of the load with the team now without Matz, Matt Harvey, and Jacob deGrom until 2017.
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