Mets Rumors: Matt Harvey Could Be Removed From New York Mets Starting Rotation

Mets rumors about Matt Harvey could be very troubling for fantasy baseball owners. These New York Mets rumors suggest that manager Terry Collins is going to remove Harvey from the starting rotation. A report from ESPN.com reveals quotes from Collins that do not show Harvey in a positive light. This is not that surprising after he had the worst outing of his career against the Washington Nationals on Thursday, May 20. In nearly three innings of work, Harvey gave up nine runs to the Nationals in a 9-1 defeat.

“We’re going to take a look — is that best for him, is that best for us? We’re not going to commit to anything at this time. But I will tell you, as I sit here today, I’d certainly trust him. I certainly believe in him. I hadn’t seen him struggle like this before. But that guy that pitched tonight for them [Stephen Strasburg], he had a couple of mediocre years, and now he’s resurged.”

During the MLB offseason, there had been many New York Mets rumors about improving the offense, as analysts felt that the pitching staff would be stronger than ever. Matt Harvey hasn’t lived up to that expectation during the 2016 campaign and at the very least could get skipped when his next appearance in the rotation comes up. That would be on Tuesday, May 24 at Nationals Park. Getting a day off when Bryce Harper is at the plate certainly isn’t a worst-case scenario for a starting pitcher.

In a league-leading nine starts for the New York Mets this season, Matt Harvey is 3-6 with a 5.77 ERA and 1.655 WHIP. Control has been one of his strengths since entering the league during the 2012 MLB season, but now opposing hitters are hitting him extremely well. Harvey has allowed 65 hits over 48 and one-third innings, a rate that is almost double what he normally posts for the Mets. To put his numbers in better perspective, the worst ERA he has posted was 2.73 in 2012 and the worst WHIP was 1.146 in 2012 as well.

Currently, the New York Mets are in third place in the National League East at 22-18. The team has lost seven of its last 10 games, though, taking them out of first place and allowing the Washington Nationals and Philadelphia Phillies to move up. The Mets need Harvey to make an adjustment on the mound, as the team cannot deal with many more rough outings like the one on Thursday. Skipping at least one start might allow him to get re-focused and rest his arm for the long season ahead. Harvey was also asked whether he wanted to make that next start or not.

“It’s my job to go out there and keep working and try to figure this thing out. That’s all I’m going to do is start over tomorrow and keep working hard and do everything I can to fix this. There’s as many answers that I’d like to find as you guys are looking for. Right now, everybody saw the game. I’m not happy about it. I know nobody else is. I’ve got to pick up tomorrow and, like I’ve said all along, start over and keep looking for answers.”

There are many New York Mets rumors about what is going on with Matt Harvey and quite a few theories from fans and fantasy baseball owners as well. They range from Harvey having too much of a workload since returning from Tommy John surgery to the possibility that he is still dealing with a urinary tract infection that bothered him during Spring Training. If the Mets do shut down Harvey for at least one start, it would be safe to assume that he undergoes a few medical tests to see if a reason for his struggles presents itself.