Steven Matz shut down for three weeks

Steven Matz will miss at least the next three weeks of action with the Mets after receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection on Wednesday. MRI results revealed no structural damage in his elbow, but Matz will begin the season on the DL.

Matz was initially scratched from his next Grapefruit League start when he felt irritation in his elbow on Sunday. He threw off flat ground on Monday and again on Tuesday, and pitching coach Dan Warthen said he looked “pretty decent” in those sessions. But now Matz cannot throw again for three more weeks and will likely be unavailable for at least most of April.

This is another in a long line of injuries for the 25-year-old southpaw. He saw his 2016 season end early due to a shoulder strain he suffered in August, which knocked him out of the Mets’ Wild Card run last year. Matz has never thrown more than 140 innings in a professional season. He tossed 132.1 innings last year.

In his absence, Zack Wheeler and Robert Gsellman have both made the Mets’ rotation to start the season. The Mets also considered Seth Lugo and Rafael Montero for Matz’s spot.