UPDATE!
Jeremy Hefner is being optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas, but could be hurt and may end up going on the Disabled List.
Jon Niese has been activated and will start today’s game.
Sandy Alderson said that Hefner will go to New York to see team doctors said he could end up on DL.
He also added that if Hefner checks out medically, the Mets will use him for spot starts…
This means the Mets go back to five-man rotation and will likely skip starts to curtail innings for Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler…
Alderson thinks with off days and occasional spot starts, Wheeler and Harvey should make it through the season without any shutdowns.
Original Post
Jon Niese is scheduled to make his first start since going on the DL with a partial tear of the rotator cuff in June. He will take the hill today at 4:10 PM in the rubber match against the Diamondbacks.
After spending five weeks on the disabled list Niese is ready to get back to what he does best and he’s pretty pumped about that.
“I’m pretty excited. I’ve been there before, and I’ve been pitching in rehab starts. Obviously, it’s not the same as the big leagues, but the arm feels good so I’m just ready to get back out there.”
The lefthander blamed the cold weather in early April for the cause of his neck and shoulder discomfort that negatively impacted his pitching for most of the season.
“After the Colorado, Minnesota series, being in that cold, it was just a struggle to heal in between starts,” Niese said.
“I had to battle just to feel good. I didn’t feel like I had dominating stuff, each outing was a grind, eventually it got painful and I told myself I had to stop.”
Niese was 3-6 with a 4.32 ERA when he was finally shut down after feeling sharp pain during a start in Atlanta on June 20, and the MRI revealed the partial tear.
“The rest and slow rehab allowed the inflammation to go down and it feels a lot better. No pain and I have the full range of motion again.”
His return is vital to the Mets as the only lefthander the Mets have in the rotation. The Mets plan to go back to a six-man rotation beginning tomorrow so as to ease the workloads on Matt Harvey, Jenrry Mejia and Zack Wheeler.
In his final tuneup at Binghamton, Niese pitched 5.0 innings and allowed two earned runs on four hits and three walks while striking out six batters. It will be a big day for him tomorrow.
I’m wondering who the Mets will demote to make room for him once he’s activated before the game.
