New York Mets pitcher Matt Harvey, also known as the “Dark Knight”, is stuck the midst of a career-worst season that most experts simply can’t explain. On Wednesday, the Mets sent the frustrated Harvey to the disabled list with discomfort in his right shoulder.
Shoulder Discomfort Lands Matt Harvey on DL
Harvey, 27, is being sent to see a surgeon in St. Louis who specializes in Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. On Wednesday, Harvey was examined by team doctors in New York, and even though Mets officials didn’t announce a diagnosis, a team source confirmed that they are very concerned that he might have TOS. Harvey could very well be facing season-ending surgery.
Harvey has been referred to see Dr. Robert Thompson for an evaluation. Dr. Thompson is a thoracic and vascular surgeon who is considered by many as one of the nations leading experts on Thoracic Outlet Syndrome.
Thoracic Outlet Syndrome is a condition in which blood vessels and nerves between the neck and the arm are compressed. It can cause shoulder and neck pain, as well as numbness in the fingers. This is a condition that is not uncommon for major league pitchers.
The Mets placed Harvey on the 15-day disabled list on Wednesday before he left for St. Louis to be examined. This comes as a surprise to a lot of Mets fans, since Harvey is never one to complain about his injuries or issues with his body, which is quite remarkable giving how poorly he’s pitched this season. On the year, Harvey is 4-10 with a 4.86 ERA and only seventy-eight strikeouts in 92.2 innings pitched.
Harvey’s injury was a bit unclear; not many officials within the organization knew if this injury was new or something Harvey was trying to deal with on his own. But after his last start against the Miami Marlins on Monday, in which he allowed eleven hits and six runs, five of which were earned, Harvey gave no indication that something was bothering him other than the poor outing.
Prior to the Marlins game, Harvey had just come off a stretch of six games where he almost looked like his old self. Before that, he was stuck in a slump that saw his ERA balloon up to 6.08 through his first ten outings. Despite missing the 2014 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, he returned in 2015 to post an ERA of 2.71. But a 2016 ERA of 4.86 might be a legitimate cause for concern, given his injury history.
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