Per Zack Wheeler’s agent Al Goetz and relayed by Jorge Castillo of the Star Ledger, Zack Wheeler was examined today in New York by the Mets’ team doctors.  According to Goetz, Wheeler is “All good.”  Wheeler had reported soreness in his right clavicle, and the doctors found no structural damage.  After Castillo’s report, Adam Rubin tweeted the following:

Zack Wheeler is OK. Just a little inflammation. Received cortisone shot. Should start throwing again in a couple of days.

— Adam Rubin (@AdamRubinESPN) May 15, 2013

Inflammation with Zack Wheeler was to AC joint at top of right shoulder. Flying to Omaha to rejoin Vegas. Missing tomorrow’s start only.

— Adam Rubin (@AdamRubinESPN) May 15, 2013

The Mets have yet to release a statement, but this is certainly a sigh of relief for Wheeler, the Mets, and the fans. 

ORIGINAL ARTICLE:

Zack Wheeler, the top pitching prospect in the Mets organization and one of the highest ranked prospects in all of baseball, has a sore right clavicle and will miss his next start for Las Vegas. Wheeler, 22, reported the soreness after his start on Saturday, and is being flown to New York to be examined by team doctors tomorrow.

Per Adam Rubin, Wheeler was already examined by a doctor in Las Vegas, but is being flown to New York out of “an abundance of caution.”

Feb 21, 2013; Port St Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Zack Wheeler (65) poses for a picture during photo day at Tradition Field. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Mets Assistant General Manager John Ricco referred to Wheeler missing the start and being flown to New York as a “conservative” move on the part of the Mets and noted that it’s due in part to the importance of Wheeler to the organization:

It was nothing that happened during the last outing. It was something that he felt a couple of days after. It’s near his right clavicle. That’s all I have right now until we have a doctor see him tomorrow. I think we’re being a little bit conservative given who it is.

Similarly, manager Terry Collins (who was likely briefed on the situation), told reporters that the issue with Wheeler “doesn’t sound serious” and that he expects him to miss just one start.

Courtesy of Wikipedia, here’s a description of the clavicle:

In human anatomy, the clavicle or collarbone is a long bone of short length that serves as a strut between the scapula and the sternum. It is the only long bone in the body that lies horizontally. It makes up part of the shoulder and the pectoral girdle and is palpable in all people, and, in people who have less fat in this region, the location of the bone is clearly visible as it creates a bulge in the skin. It receives its name from the Latin: clavicula (“little key”) because the bone rotates along its axis like a key when the shoulder is abducted.

It’s customary for Mets fans to flip out, and Wheeler is obviously one of our only reasons for optimism at this point, but this doesn’t seem like anything to be worried about.  Wheeler will see the doctors tomorrow, and they’ll hopefully confirm what Ricco stated: that the team is being conservative, and that Wheeler will miss one start out of an abundance of caution.

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Per the beat writers, the Mets have placed Scott Atchison on the disabled list.   Atchison has inflammation from bone spurs that are aggravating the nerve in his elbow.  He’ll take anti-inflammatories, and will not be able to throw for a week.  According to Mets assistant GM John Ricco, there is no new structural damage to Atchison’s elbow (he’s been pitching with a torn UCL since opting to not have Tommy John surgery).

ORIGINAL ARTICLE:

Collin McHugh has been summoned from AAA Las Vegas to St. Louis.  Whether McHugh is activated is contingent upon whether Scott Atchison is placed on the disabled list.

Sep 10, 2012; Flushing, NY,USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Collin McHugh (36) pitches during the first inning against the Washington Nationals at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

Atchison, 37, reported both tenderness in his pitching elbow and numbness in his fingers after last night’s game.  He was to be evaluated today.  Atchison missed time while with the Red Sox last year and has been pitching with a partially torn UCL.  That he may land on the shelf is no surprise, especially when you take into account the fact that he’s been overused.

McHugh, 25, has been solid in eight starts for AAA Las Vegas.  In 49.1 innings pitched, McHugh has given up 53 hits and walked 9 batters while pitching to an ERA of 2.74.  In 21.1 innings with the Mets last season, McHugh had an ERA of 7.59.

If Atchison lands on the disabled list, it’s likely that McHugh’s role in the pen will be that of the long man.  His stuff won’t play up in a late inning or one batter assignment role, so asking him to be someone who can eat up innings is probably the best route to take.

As Adam Rubin of ESPN recently pointed out, though, McHugh tossed seven innings Sunday night.  According to Rubin, that would limit McHugh to just one inning tonight if he were to be activated.

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Jeurys Familia is dealing with tendinitis in his right elbow:

According to Mark Hale in the New York Post, Mets reliever Jeurys Familia has soreness/tendinitis in his right (pitching) elbow.  The elbow first started bothering Familia during the inning he pitched on Wednesday night, and he was unavailable last night.  Writes Hale:

Asked if he was concerned about the situation, Familia shrugged.  ‘I want to play,’ he said.  Manager Terry Collins said he was aware of Familia’s condition before the game [Thursday] and used his bullpen accordingly.

When asked how long he’d be out, Familia responded by saying “I’ll be OK – a couple of days.”

Hopefully this is just a blip on the radar for Familia, who has been very solid recently.  I’d expect the Mets to have him examined (if he hasn’t been already) before clearing him to return to action.

Travis d’Arnaud could be a week away from starting rehab on his broken foot:

Travis d’Arnaud, who suffered a broken foot when a ball was fouled off him while catching on April 17th, is scheduled to fly to New York a week from today to be evaluated by team doctors.  It’s expected that d’Arnaud will then fly to Florida to begin rehab.  It was initially thought that d’Arnaud would miss eight weeks, but he says he may return sooner:

I’m going to New York May 17 for a doctors appointment. I know after I see the doctor I go to Florida to start strengthening. Who knows, it could be quicker (than eight weeks), you never know.

With John Buck cooling off, it’ll be great to see d’Arnaud get back in action.  If all goes well, d’Arnaud will be back in games by early or mid June, which could pave the way for his major league debut right around the All-Star break.

Zack Wheeler could be called up soon, or not:

Yesterday, Las Vegas manager Wally Backman stated that if Zack Wheeler threw in his next two starts like he did in his prior two starts, he wouldn’t be long for AAA.  Backman speculated that Wheeler would be  “about two weeks away” from the majors in that scenario.  In the Daily News, Andy Martino quoted several Mets sources regarding the potential promotion date of Zack Wheeler.

Mar 18, 2013; Jupiter, FL, USA; New York Mets catcher Travis d

According to Martino, one source said Wheeler would be up by June 1st “at the latest,” while another source referred to that timetable as “a little aggressive.”  A third source opined that Wheeler’s promotion could be even further off, occurring sometime in July.  Regardless of the speculation, Martino continues to report that it will be Wheeler’s performance that dictates his eventual callup, not his Super Two status:

The team has never been overly concerned about keeping Wheeler in the minors through mid-to-late June in order to avoid becoming an expensive ‘Super Two’ player, a distinction in salary arbitration determined by big league service time. Although financial considerations are not entirely irrelevant, Mets people insist the decision will be based largely on Wheeler’s readiness.

Predicting when Wheeler will be called up is and always has been a total guessing game.  If Wheeler continues to perform as he has recently and the Mets’ rotation remains unsettled, Wheeler’s big league debut could be around the corner.  Still, only Sandy Alderson knows what the true timetable is.  Wheeler next starts tomorrow for Las Vegas.

Jenrry Mejia returns to game action:

Jenrry Mejia, who was shut down during spring training with a forearm injury, has recently resumed pitching in extended spring training in Port St. Lucie.  He’s scheduled to make his first rehab start for St. Lucie (high A) tomorrow.

The Mets have been yanking Mejia back and forth from starter to reliever for the last three plus years, so It’d be nice for them to pick a plan and stick with it this time around.  If Mejia progresses and improves his command, he could be either a rotation option later in the season or a live arm to add to the bullpen (depending on the role the Mets choose for him).

Shin-Soo Choo is a potential free agent target:

In the Daily News, John Harper quotes various Mets and baseball executives who believe the team will go after free agent Shin-Soo Choo after the season:

‘I’d bet on him being a Met next season,’ one major league exec with past ties to GM Sandy Alderson said on Thursday.  ‘He’s a high on-base percentage guy, which is what Sandy wants, and he’s a really good hitter.’

In January, Rising Apple listed four outfielders the Mets should consider signing after 2013.  Those outfielders were Carlos Gomez, Jacoby Ellsbury, Carlos Beltran, and Choo.  Gomez has since signed an extension with the Brewers, so he’s off the board.

Choo, who will turn 31 in July, is hitting .323 with a major league leading .453 OBP to go along with seven homers and 15 RBI’s.  Over his nine year career, Choo’s 162 game average shakes out as follows: a .291 batting average, .385 OBP, 20 homers, 86 RBI’s, 92 runs scored, and 38 doubles.  He’s currently playing center field for the Reds, but he’s better suited in one of the corner outfield spots.  His agent is Scott Boras.

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