Speaking today outside Madison Square Garden before the Rangers’ home opener, New York Mets Pitcher Matt Harvey told reporters "everybody thinks I am ahead of schedule," referring to the Tommy John surgery he underwent to repair a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow last week.
A couple of months ago, Harvey indicated that he would attempt to rehabilitate his elbow, but he ultimately decided to undergo surgery. He told reporters tonight that this was a difficult decision, saying, "before I decided to go with surgery, I wanted to make sure I was mentally prepared, just fully committed in my decision."
Harvey was among the best pitchers in baseball this season before his injury. Harvey finished 3rd in the majors with a 2.27 ERA and 1st with a 2.00 FIP, and his 27.7 percent strikeout rate placed him 3rd among qualified pitchers. But he is expected to miss all of 2014 recovering from surgery.