The NY Mets have lost pitcher Zach Wheeler for the 2015 season after he suffered a fully torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow and he will now have surgery after an MRI discovered the tear and this comes as New York is just getting back Matt Harvey from the same surgery that forced him to miss last season.
According to ESPN New York, the tear was discovered over the weekend and was reviewed by team doctors before a decision was made. Wheeler is just 24 years old and he is the second Mets player to make plans for the surgery in days, as ESPN reports that left-handed reliever Josh Edgin also will undergo the procedure. Wheeler is getting another opinion on the injury, but all reports say that he will be undergoing the surgery.
Last season Wheeler started 32 games and went 11-11 with a 3.54 ERA and 187 strikeouts for the Mets. The team is in a good position to deal with Wheeler's injury, but it puts them in a tough spot heading into the regular season. The Mets felt they had a good enough pitching staff as constructed to make a run at a wild card spot and now they will have to find someone to step in for Wheeler. The team has Dillon Gee, Rafael Montero along with prospects Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz, but right now the young players are likely heading to the minors, according to Adam Rubin at ESPN.
Gee is most likely heading into the rotation again after the injury, as he has come up in trade rumors as the "excess" name for the rotation. The Mets, smartly or by chance, did not trade Gee and now they have someone who can at least step in and take over to start the season. According to ESPN.com, Wheeler was impressive in 2014, ranking among the top six players in the NL in strikeouts per nine innings.
The Mets were expecting Wheeler to be one of the prime members of the pitching rotation and now they may not look at trading Dillon Gee or Bartolo Colon this season. According to ESPN.com, Wheeler has led the team in strikeouts and was second in wins dating back to 2013 when he pitched part of the year. Wheeler was originally acquired from the Giants in a deal for Carlos Beltran. Wheeler has been dealing with some issues this offseason in his elbow, but the main tear issue did not come up until the new MRI, according to GM Sandy Alderson.
The Mets come into the season with high expectations and they feel that a playoff berth is within their reach in the NL, likely for a wild card spot. The team has some young players that can step in if another injury happens, but right now it looks like Gee will be the main pitcher to take over in the rotation.