Mets’ Zack Wheeler Will Undergo Tommy John Surgery

Photo Credit: Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

The New York Mets will be losing a starting pitcher from their projected rotation for the 2015 season, as pitcher Zack Wheeler will undergo Tommy John surgery towards the end of March, according to ESPN’s Adam Rubin. The injury will likely sideline Wheeler for the entirety of the 2015 season.

Wheeler suffered a similar injury as his teammate and fellow pitcher, Matt Harvey. The injury is reported to be a tear in his ulnar collateral ligament (UCL). Additionally, the Mets had showed concerns in Wheeler’s tendon, which is reported to be torn, according to Newsday. The tear in Wheeler’s tendon is what initiated the decision to undergo platelet-rich plasma therapy twice throughout the offseason.

Expectations for the Mets seemed to be at an all-time high, specifically with the pitching rotation. With Harvey returning to lead the rotation, it seemed the Mets were intending on a fierce competitive drive throughout the season, into September. The injury of Wheeler is significant, but the organization is capable of moving forward.

The projected pitching rotation, after the fallout with Wheeler, includes Harvey, Bartolo Colon, Jonathon Niese, Jacob deGrom, and Dillon Gee. Mets’ top prospect Noah Syndergaard can be expected to have an earlier call-up date in order to establish a presence in the rotation. In addition to Syndergaard, whom intends to impact the rotation in a positive manner, deGrom, winner of the 2014 National League Rookie of the Year, and Harvey, winner of the Breakout Player of the Year (GIBBY) in 2013, look to lock down the rotation; Colon and Niese add the veteran mentality and stabilizes the rotation to the full extent.

Even with the loss of Wheeler for the season, the Mets will look to contend with the National League East in hopes of a playoff berth, last seeing the light of the postseason in 2006.