Zack Wheeler to undergo minor surgery to remove suture knot

According to reports, Zack Wheeler will be undergoing a minor surgical procedure this week to remove a suture knot from his arm. The Mets are still confident that Wheeler will make his July 1 return date to rejoin their staff. Wheeler underwent Tommy John surgery in March of 2015 and has been on the same recovery protocols that the Mets used when dealing with Matt Harvey's rehab.

The suture in Wheeler's arm was apparently one of several he received as part of his Tommy John surgery, but did not dissolve properly, necessitating its removal. The Mets don't appear to be worried about the minor surgical procedure, which will be performed by Dr. David Altchek, who also performed Wheeler's Tommy John surgery.

Wheeler was nearly traded last season as part of a package for Carlos Gomez, but the Mets pulled the trigger on the Yoenis Cespedes deal instead.

In his season preview on Wheeler, Lukas Vlahos was optimistic that Wheeler could make a strong return in the long run after Tommy John, though he admitted his impact in 2016 might be small. No doubt the Mets are hoping this prediction comes true, as Wheeler showed flashes of greatness while struggling with some control issues in his first two seasons in the majors.