Matt Harvey won’t be pitching off a mound anytime soon.
The right-hander, who had hoped to take the next step in his rehab from October Tommy John surgery around the upcoming All-Star break, will instead head to his agent Scott Boras’ training facility in Newport Beach, Calif.
“They want to see where I’m at,” Harvey said before the Mets’ 5-4 victory over the Marlins at Citi Field on Saturday.
And given Boras’ comments on Friday, when he said he believed the recovery time for the elbow surgery was from 14-16 months, Harvey has become even more resigned to the fact he won’t pitch in a game this season.
“That [time period] puts me to, what, December?” said Harvey, who added the process has been “very slowly slowing down a lot.”
But unlike other times during all of this, Harvey lately has been on the same page as the Mets when it comes to their conservative approach — especially with more and more young pitchers ending up going under the knife again for a second Tommy John procedure.
Bartolo Colon is scheduled to start the first game in San Diego after the All-Star Game, and since Dillon Gee is going to throw during the break, Collins said he also would be ready to pitch in the that series.
The same can’t be said for Jon Niese, still on the disabled list with a strained left shoulder. Niese will throw Sunday and the team will monitor his progress.
“We are not counting on Jon Niese right now at all,” Collins said. “He’ll throw [Sunday], see how he is and make a judgment when we get to San Diego.”
Collins said Sunday’s starter, Jacob deGrom, may be due for a rest following the break, although the pitcher said he hadn’t been approached about it.
“There certainly may be a situation when we talk here [Sunday], that we’ll watch his innings in the second half,” Collins said. “At this level, it’s hard to try to watch innings for a starter. The only other option is the bullpen.”
Because Daniel Murphy will play Tuesday in the All-Star Game, Collins intends to give the second baseman Sunday off, with Eric Campbell taking his spot at second base. … Jeremy Hefner, also coming off elbow surgery, pitched a perfect inning for St. Lucie in the Gulf Coast League on Saturday in his first game action of his comeback. Taylor Teagarden also began a rehab assignment for St. Lucie.
Noah Syndergaard will be in Sunday’s Futures Game in Minnesota, coming off likely his strongest start for Triple-A Las Vegas.
“The other day Wally said it was the best he’d thrown all year, so maybe he’s turned the corner,” Collins said of Las Vegas manager Wally Backman.
The right-hander has been hit hard in his five previous outings.
“A lot of it has to do with he’s 20 years old and he’s playing in a league where mistakes can hurt you,” Collins said of the Pacific Coast League.