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All season, Matt Harvey owners have been searching for answers for their underachieving ace.
Now, they'd just as soon not have them.
The news out of New York Wednesday is bad. Harvey is headed to the DL with what the Mets fear is thoracic outlet syndrome, a condition that impacts the blood vessels and nerves in the shoulder and often requires surgery. It's why Phil Hughes is out for the year. At last report, Hughes was scheduled to have part of a rib removed to alleviate his symptoms.
Maybe Harvey's case isn't as severe. He'll be examined Thursday to find out, but the concern here is he's done for the year. And hopefully that's the worst of it. This procedure isn't as prevalent as, say, Tommy John surgery, so we have only a handful of comparables. Jaime Garcia managed to return from it OK last year, but some other pitchers to undergo the procedure were never the same.
I take some solace in knowing Harvey was throwing hard right up to the diagnosis, but of course, going under the knife changes things. I'd proceed with extreme caution with him, both in short-term and keeper scenarios. The only grounds to drop him is confirmation of season-ending surgery, and the uncertain rehabilitation would certainly lower his price tag going forward.
How much? Well, another injured Mets hurler, Zack Wheeler, might just be the preferred keeper in that worst-case scenario.