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Tests on Zack Wheeler’s elbow have come back clean. The right-hander has been diagnosed with sensory nerve irritation, but no structural damage was found. He has received a cortisone shot and will be allowed to pitch as soon as feels able.
Wheeler has been working his way back from Tommy John surgery, but he was forced to be backed off of his rehab after his surgically-repaired right elbow began to flare up. The team initially stated that they did not believe it to be anything serious, and that has turned out to be correct.
There is no word yet on whether or not this will affect the 26-year-old’s timetable for return, but the latest plan was for Wheeler to return right after the All-Star break. When he does make his season debut, he will look to bolster a talented rotation that has seen its (un)fair share of health scares so far this year. Wheeler has a 3.50 ERA and a 3.77 FIP over 285 major league innings.
This is the third piece of good news the Mets received tonight, along with encouraging reports on Noah Syndergaard and Yoenis Cespedes, so perhaps the team’s luck is starting to turn around.