NEW YORK -- Curious about Steven Matz's rehab from a left shoulder impingement, the Mets flew Matz back to New York this week so he could throw a bullpen session in front of manager Terry Collins and pitching coach Dan Warthen. Matz performed well enough in that session Wednesday that the Mets are now penciling him in to start Friday against the Phillies.
"As of today, he's good to go," Collins said Wednesday.
That should complete a long road back to the big leagues for Matz, who has not pitched since Aug. 14. But the rookie will be limited in Friday's start, which may only last a few innings.
The Mets' hope is that over the course of two outings down the stretch, Matz will build up enough stamina that he can be useful to them in a potential playoff series. He was 9-8 with a 3.40 ERA in 22 starts prior to his injury, also missing time this season due to elbow issues.
Even if Matz is not yet stretched out to a triple-digit pitch workload, the Mets feel he can help them in a pennant race.
"He looked very good, looked nice and easy, the ball came out of his hand great," Collins said. "So we'll see how it goes when he gets in tomorrow."