Matt Harvey has insisted all along that he planned to pitch this season, but now that his recovery process from Tommy John elbow surgery has been slowed down a bit by the Mets he’s come around to the idea that it might be 2015 before he sees games action in the majors again:
I’m always going to be on board with what they have to say. I can only do so much, and speak my two cents. As a competitor, I’m always going to want to get out there, but I can’t write myself out there and set up my own program, so whatever they have set up is obviously the way we’re going to go. …
I think it was a matter of me not wanting it to happen. I still want to pitch this year. That’s always going to be on my mind. But coming to realize that I can’t write myself in the lineup is becoming a little bit more realistic.
Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports that Harvey was initially scheduled to throw off a mound Tuesday for the first time, but those plans have been pushed back and general manager Sandy Alderson has said that the Mets won’t let Harvey appear in a game until at least 11 months after surgery.
In other words, there was never any real chance of Harvey pitching in the majors this year. It’s just that he’s finally realizing that’s the case now.
