Harvey has successful Tommy John surgery
Right-hander Matt Harvey underwent successful Tommy John surgery on Tuesday to replace the partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, the Mets announced. Harvey is expected to miss the entire 2014 season.
Dr. James Andrews performed the operation in Gulf Breeze, Fla.
Harvey, 24, announced earlier this month that he intended to undergo surgery rather than attempt to rehab the ligament, which was his original intent. His agent, Scott Boras, said last week in Los Angeles that "logic prevailed" in Harvey's decision; had he opted for rehab instead of surgery, Harvey would have been at perpetual risk for re-injury.
Harvey has not responded to repeated requests for comment over the past three weeks.
Tommy John surgery has a relatively static 12-15-month recovery period, meaning Harvey should be ready to pitch by Opening Day 2015. But many pitchers who have had the surgery in the past cite an additional one-year period needed to return completely to form.
Cardinals World Series Game 1 pitcher Adam Wainwright, for example, said he did not feel back to normal until this season, his second after undergoing Tommy John surgery in February 2011.
"I had terrible stuff last year," Wainwright said Tuesday. "I was trying to find a way to make it work. There would be days where my stuff would be OK, and there would be days where I didn't have any stuff at all. No fastball. The fastball wasn't fast, the changeup wasn't changing, the slider wasn't sliding. The only thing I had was my curveball. That saved me last year, and especially when I had no stuff to rely on except for that pitch.
"Flip that into this year, where I felt from the very first day of long toss in the offseason, strong. When the very first throw the ball came out of my hand this offseason, it was like seeing that old friend you hadn't seen in a long time. It was like, 'There it is.'"
Harvey finished this past season 9-5 with a 2.27 ERA in 26 starts. He is 12-10 for his career with a 2.69 ERA in 36 starts.