It's great news for the Mets.
Sent to New York yesterday for an MRI, Jon Niese looked like a big question mark for the Mets heading into the season. But the results came in on his exam, and his shoulder is clean. That's a huge relief, as the 27-year-old missed a few months last year with a shoulder injury, and most of those injuries are generally very bad news for pitchers.
Overall, Niese had a decent year last year after a very poor start in April and May. Once he returned from his shoulder injury later in the season, he looked a lot more like he did in 2012. In total, he had a 3.71 ERA and 3.58 FIP in 24 starts. He's the Mets' likely Opening Day starter this year if healthy, and he'd head a rotation with Bartolo Colon, Zack Wheeler, Dillon Gee, and one of Jenrry Mejia, Daisuke Matsuzaka, and John Lannan.
