According to beat reporters Matt Ehalt and Adam Rubin, the New York Mets will place left-hander Steven Matz on the disabled list with “shoulder tightness.”
Matz was diagnosed with a mild strain and rotator cuff inflammation during an examination with team doctors on Monday in New York and the team says an MRI revealed no structural damage in his left shoulder.
This is a significant blow for the Mets who just can’t seem to stay healthy this season. No word on how much time Matz will miss, but look for right-hander Seth Lugo to replace him in the rotation and start against the St. Louis cardinals on Thursday.
Additionally, RHP Robert Gsellman has been scratched from his scheduled start with Triple-A Las Vegas, which could be related to a call-up to the majors, according to Betsy Helfand of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Gsellman would give the Mets another starting pitching option if Jon Niese were to falter on Tuesday against the Cards.
Matz, 25, was scratched from his scheduled start on Friday due to some shoulder soreness. He was scheduled to undergo a full exam on his shoulder today with team doctors.
Additionally, he is expected to have elbow surgery after the season to remove a bone spur.
For the season, Matz is 9-8 with a 3.40 ERA and 1.204 WHIP in 22 starts. In 132.1 innings he has struck out 129 batters while walking just 31.
Previous Report – Aug 21
Steven Matz played catch on flat ground Saturday in San Francisco and will visit with the team doctor on Monday, according to Matt Ehalt of NorthJersey.com. Matz did not thrown any breaking pitches, but he told Ehalt that he “felt fine” afterward.
The Mets will wait until the results of Matz’s examination on Monday before deciding what the next step will be.
Matz, 25, was scratched from his scheduled start on Friday due to some shoulder soreness. On the season he is 9-8 with a 3.40 ERA and 1.204 WHIP in 22 starts. In 132.1 innings he has struck out 129 batters while walking just 31.
He was replaced by Seth Lugo on Friday who gave the Mets a solid start against the Giants despite the loss.
Original Report – Aug 19
According to Mets manager Terry Collins, Steven Matz has been scratched from his scheduled start on Friday with a shoulder issue, and in replacement, Seth Lugo will toe the rubber for the Amazins instead.
Collins said Matz felt a twinge in his shoulder after his last start and he still felt some discomfort when the team arrived in San Francisco.
“He felt great after his start Sunday,” said Collins. “The following day, he threw a curveball and felt some discomfort in his shoulder. Did not feel it while throwing a fastball.”
“The next day he got on the mound, threw some fastballs, and when he wanted to throw a curveball, his shoulder bugged him again. As a precaution, we got to skip him this time.”
Matz nearly tossed a no-hitter against the Padres on Sunday before Alexei Ramirez broke up the historic bid with a single in the eighth inning. He was the first Met to carry a no-no into the eighth inning since Johan Santana in 2012.
Matz, 25, has pitched to a 9-8 record so far this season in 22 games started, and holds a 3.40 ERA.
He told reporters that he is not too concerned about the shoulder.
“Not so much,” Matz said. “It’s just discomfort. I’m really not worried about it.”
Lugo will make his first major league start, after appearing exclusively in relief thus far this season for the Mets.
