A team source told Adam Rubin of ESPN New York that Matt Harvey is tentatively scheduled to make his first spring training appearance on March 6 when the Mets take on the Detroit Tigers at Tradition Field in Port St. Lucie.
The game will be broadcast on SNY and would be Harvey’s first live game action since August 24, 2013.
Harvey To Face Live Batters On Friday
So far it’s been all good news for Matt Harvey. His confident demeanor coupled with some impressive bullpens and workouts has everyone at Port St. Lucie coming away impressed.
“It doesn’t look like he’s missed much of a beat,” manager Terry Collins said. “You watch the command of his fastball and working both sides of the plate like he hardly has missed anything.”
On Tuesday, the team took off the kid gloves and Harvey was given the okay to start throwing sliders and curves, one of which Collins saw and exclaimed it was “stinkin’ dynamite.”
Harvey, who turns 26 next month, will now face his next challenge on his comeback trail. He is expected to throw live batting practice to hitters on Friday, according to Marc Carig of Newsday.
It’s the moment the Mets ace has been waiting for, and you can bet that all Mets brass from Fred Wilpon on down will be on hand to gauge the results.
Harvey was having an incredible breakout season in 2013 before a torn UCL shut him down. He went 9-5 with a 2.27 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 157 ERA+ and 191 strikeouts against just 31 walks in 178 1/3 innings pitched.
It’s those huge numbers that have his teammates and coaches salivating at the thought of a playoff contending season for the Mets in 2015.
If Harvey comes close to replicating his former production, he gives the Mets one of the most formidable starting rotations in the National League if not all of baseball.
So far, his rehab and comeback has been nothing short of remarkable. So much so that Sandy Alderson suggested that Harvey could throw as many as 200 innings in his first season back from Tommy John surgery.
Im so excited at the thought of seeing Matt Harvey back on the mound again and overpowering hitters as he once did.
I’m crossing my fingers that he’ll pitch one of the games in the opening series against the Nationals in Washington. When I see Harvey dropping that hammer curve and striking out the likes of Bryce Harper and Jayson Werth, I’ll know that everything is alright and that the Mets are going to have a very special season.
