Only two starts into his new role as the Mets number two starter, a role many warned might lead to a unwise workload in only his second full season, Mike Pelfrey is already ailing with what is being called forearm tendinitis.
The Mets have long considered Mike Pelfrey, a former first round pick, a prized possession, but when Pelfrey complained of a stiff forearm in spring training, the Mets solution was to keep trotting him out there and probably making the condition even worse. They waited until the absolute last moment to fork over the bucks for an MRI which could have revealed the condition in March rather than April. The way the Mets have handled Mike Pelfrey’s health and longterm future comes far short of how the Yankees have managed Joba Chamberlain.
This of course wouldn’t be the first time the Mets have downplayed a players concern only to reap the consequences of season ending injuries as in the case of Billy Wagner, Matt Wise, El Duque and of course Ryan Church.
The Mets have still not ruled out Mike Pelfrey for his next start, even though Pelfrey said this to reporters after the game.
“It seems like the more pitches I throw, the worse it gets, the weaker it gets,” Pelfrey said.
The more pitches he throws, the worse it gets… Similar to the more injury concerns the Mets handle the more abysmal it gets.
After just two starts this season, Pelfrey has an 8.10 ERA. Last season he threw 201 innings after throwing just 153 innings in 2007.
The Mets may call Pelfrey their prized possession, hopefully they’ll start treating him like one. In the meantime, all we can do is wait and see what happens next. Will the Mets skip his next start? Will the Mets place him on the DL and hope that the rest will do him good? Will the Mets trot him out there to make his next scheduled start? We’ll find out soon enough, but hopefully they do the right thing and exclude the last option.
