Mets injury update: Steven Matz pushed to Thursday, Logan Verrett starting on Wednesday

Steven Matz, who was originally scheduled to start on Wednesday, will instead be pushed back to start on Thursday, while Logan Verrett will pitch in Wednesday’s series finale against the Nationals.

It had been announced previously that Matz was diagnosed with bone spurs in his pitching elbow, and that the young left-hander may either try to pitch through the pain or opt for surgery. It appears that Matz and the Mets have decided on the former option, at least for now. Instead of facing the suddenly-hot-hitting Nationals, Matz will now face the always-hot-hitting Cubs. The 25-year-old struggled in his last start, allowing the light-hitting Braves to score six earned runs in 4.1 innings, striking out none.

Speaking of struggling, Logan Verrett has not been able to carry over his 2015 success into this season; his ERA has jumped over a full point, from 3.03 in 2015 to 4.14 in 2016. In his last two starts, the 26-year-old has allowed 12 earned runs in 6.2 innings, striking out five and walking seven.

In other bone-spur-related news, Noah Syndergaard has also been diagnosed with a bone spur in his pitching elbow. While bone spurs were not previously considered to be contagious, perhaps now is the time for the rest of the Mets’ staff to get vaccinated.