They’re hoping to use any leeway to step up efforts to manage the workloads of their young pitchers.
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Syndergaard is expected to return to the rotation next week in Atlanta.
Matz (lat), who made his final rehab start Monday, was activated and promoted following the Mets’ game that evening, Adam Rubin of ESPN New York reports.
The Mets haven’t announced a date when he will rejoin the rotation, but there’s a good chance it will come this weekend in Miami. Harvey, who has a 2.48 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in his first year back from Tommy John surgery, has already logged 160 innings. In fact, manager Terry Collins already acknowledged that Harvey will have at least one more start skipped again down the stretch, with the potential for a second that’s likely based on the standings. With Matz back in the fold, the Mets will be changing over to a six-man rotation.
Collins averaged 76 wins per season over his first four with the Mets.
If the Mets take that quota seriously, they’ll need to wield a quick hook or leapfrog the 26-year-old righty twice. In his place, they will be inserting fellow rookie Steven Matz. Nobody from the organization has put a firm innings cap on him, though a desire has grown of late to be more cautious with his workload. Syndergaard has already exceeded his innings count from last season by 15, as he has thrown 152 innings including his time in the minors. Generally, teams prefer to increase year-by-year workloads by roughly 20 percent. The Mets have gone 9-1 in his 10 starts at home.
According to Newsday’s Marc Carig, pitching coach Dan Warthen is not only open to preserving Harvey, but also intimated interest in giving Jacob deGrom a breather.
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“In all the discussions we’ve had, [Harvey’s] said, ‘Listen I’ll do it, but I’m pitching in October, ‘” Collins said.
