Jon Niese Won't Need Heart Surgery, After All

Last year, Jon Niese experienced an irregular heartbeat while pitching, which was, of course, cause for concern for the pitcher and the Mets. At the time, Niese was cleared to return to the mound in short order with the expectation that he would require relatively minor heart surgery.

As it turns out, Niese won't require surgery after all, as Sandy Alderson indicated to ESPN New York. Had he gone under the proverbial knife, Niese would have had ablation, a procedure that was expected to clear up his irregular heartbeat condition without forcing him to miss any time in 2013.

Still, it's good news that Niese won't require any sort of surgery, particularly one that involves the heart. Here's hoping he remains healthy and doesn't miss any time in 2013. With R.A. Dickey gone, the Mets need Niese, Johan Santana, Matt Harvey, and Dillon Gee to pitch as many innings as possible this year.