Matt Harvey Hopeful He’ll Avoid Tommy John Surgery

Matt Harvey visited a firehouse in Manhattan this afternoon to commemorate tomorrow’s anniversary of the September 11th Terrorist Attacks, and spoke with reporters afterwards regarding the state of his torn right UCL.

Aug 26, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Mets injured starting pitcher Matt Harvey (33) in the dugout during the first inning of a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

According to Harvey, his elbow feels great.  He noted that he has yet to receive a second MRI (which would seemingly reveal the percentage of the tear in his UCL), but that he’s optimistic he’ll avoid Tommy John surgery.

Harvey told reporters that putting the baseball down for a few days was “helpful.”

While Harvey is optimistic he can avoid surgery, he told reporters that “there’s a reason” why he’s seeing Dr. James Andrews next Monday.

Harvey went on to say that after he gets the second opinion from Dr. Andrews, he’ll likely wait a week or so before deciding whether to rehab the injury or opt for surgery.

As has been noted, if Harvey’s UCL is less than 33 percent torn, the recommendation from Andrews may be for PRP (platelet rich plasma) therapy and rehab.  If the tear is in excess of 33 percent, the recommendation will almost assuredly be for surgery.

Thoughts:

Harvey and the Mets are doing the prudent thing here.  There’s no reason to rush into a surgery of this magnitude, and every reason to explore alternative avenues.

The percentage of the tear in Harvey’s UCL is still unknown, so it’s hard to take much from Harvey’s optimism.  It’s nice that he feels great, but the percentage of the tear will very likely dictate whether or not Harvey goes under the knife.

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