The Braves thumped the Mets in Atlanta on Thursday night (ATL 12, NYM 4), and Mets starter Matt Harvey had much to do with that. Regard his work for the evening ...
After that rough outing, Harvey for the season now has an ERA of 6.00 after three starts. Those struggles aren't isolated, either. Harvey, in part because of injuries (Tommy John and thoracic outlet surgeries are in his recent past), hasn't been both healthy and effective since 2015. In related matters ...
That's a steady pattern of velocity loss, and Harvey, despite a somewhat deep repertoire, has been unable to adapt to his declining fastball.
All of that brings us to manager Mickey Callaway's postgame comments on Thursday ...
Mickey Callaway won't commit to another start for Matt Harvey right now. #Mets
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) April 20, 2018
That, obviously, means that Harvey is in danger of losing his spot in the Mets' rotation. Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman combined to make 40 starts last season, so either could transition from the bullpen to replace Harvey. As well, veteran free agent signee Jason Vargas (broken non-pitching hand) could be activated as soon as next weekend.
As for Harvey, he's not inclined to agree ...
"I'm a starting pitcher," a somewhat defiant Matt Harvey said in response to the notion that he may not be long for the Mets' rotation: pic.twitter.com/OzQVHhwDJa
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) April 20, 2018
That's understandable. Harvey's in his walk year, and entering the market as a "defrocked" starting pitcher will surely hurt his chances of landing a big payday. That said, so will hitting the market as a bad starting pitcher, which is what Harvey is right now.
Maybe his diminished stuff plays up in the bullpen, and he carves out a future as a high-leverage reliever. Or maybe this is all a motivational tactic by Callaway. Whatever the case, Harvey, who's still just 29, appears to be at yet another career crossroads.
