Steven Matz has partial tear of lat muscle

The injury bug has bitten the newest member of the Mets' rotation. Steven Matz, coming off a pair of strong starts to begin his career in the big leagues, has suffered a partially torn left lat muscle and will be sidelined for at least the next three weeks. The team announced that the 23-year-old received an injection of PRP, a plasma used to aid the healing process, at the team hospital following examination and will be checked out in three weeks.

Matz, who was scheduled to start the Mets' final game before the All-Star Break against the Diamondbacks, immediately made his mark on the rotation following his promotion. In his first start on June 28, a 7-2 win against the Reds, he allowed two runs, five hits and three walks while striking out six over seven-and-two-thirds innings—and even helped his own cause at the plate by going 3-3 with four runs batted in. His next start, an 8-0 win against the Dodgers a week later, saw him pitch six innings of shutout ball while striking out eight and walking two.

Matz was promoted from Las Vegas on June 25, shortly after Dillon Gee was demoted to the minors. In the short term, the team will look to fill Matz's now-vacant Sunday start with either Jon Niese or Bartolo Colon. It's not good news for a team that has already shown an inability to score runs, particularly over the last month.