Tommy John surgery be damned, Terry Collins isn't planning on skipping any of Matt Harvey's starts this year.
Terry Collins confirmed today that Matt Harvey will get the opportunity to pitch in one of the Mets' first five games of the 2015 season, according to Adam Rubin. Some had speculated that Harvey might be held back to make his debut in front of the home crowd at Citi Field, in a modest effort to control his workload in his first season after recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Collins also said that he does not plan to skip any of Matt Harvey's starts during the season. Harvey's innings limit has been a hot topic of conversation since he reported to camp two weeks ago. In lieu of skipping starts, Collins may opt to limit Harvey to five-inning outings.
Yesterday, Sandy Alderson said that he wouldn't put a number on Harvey's innings limit for 2015, but that Harvey could conceivably throw 200 innings this year including the postseason.
All indications are that the Mets won't be treating Harvey with kid gloves; apparently enough time has passed since surgery and Harvey's recovery has gone sufficiently well to obviate a more restrictive approach.