Steven Matz will resume throwing on Monday in Florida

Amid the rumors circulating around a potential injury to Jacob deGrom, the Mets released some cautiously positive news about another critical member of the rotation. Steven Matz, who was scheduled to return from a shoulder injury last night before experiencing a setback earlier in the week, will throw a baseball this Sunday in Florida, MLB.com’s Anthony diComo reports.

Some had called for Matz to be shut down in order to preserve him for next season. Due to a bone spur in his elbow, he has pitched through pain for most of the year. Despite this, he has been mostly effective, posting a 3.40 ERA over 22 games. In his last start before landing on the DL, Matz carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning against the San Diego Padres.

The Mets of course hope to get Matz back sooner rather than later. Still in the thick of the hunt for a Wild Card spot, the Mets are seemingly losing another player every day to injury. With manager Terry Collins unwilling to commit to Jacob deGrom making his next start, Matz’s return is even more critical to the stretch run. The Mets have a relatively soft schedule going forward, but they will still need quality pitching to make the postseason.