Mets injury update: Zack Wheeler to see Dr. James Andrews for elbow discomfort

The Mets might have been counting on Zack Wheeler’s return this season, but it seems increasingly unlikely that he’ll actually make it back, as he’s now off to see Dr. James Andrews. The team says he hasn’t been able to throw since his last rehab start because of discomfort.

Wheeler’s road back from Tommy John surgery has been a long one. He had the surgery before the 2015 season began, missed the entire season, and was originally hoping to return in early July. That target date kept getting delayed, as there were some issues along the way.

Before his surgery, Wheeler had a 3.50 ERA and 3.77 FIP in 49 starts for the Mets. The 26-year-old was acquired by the team in the trade that sent Carlos Beltran to the San Francisco Giants back in 2011.

Without Wheeler, the Mets are still relying upon Logan Verrett to pitch every fifth day, which is not an ideal situation for a team that’s hanging on to Wild Card contention by a thread. Verrett is undoubtedly the fifth starter on the team right now, but he has a 4.66 ERA this season in total and a 5.49 ERA as a starting pitcher.