Matt Harvey might file a grievance against the Mets to fight three-game suspension

Mets fans woke up on Sunday morning with the hopes that Matt Harvey would bounce back from two dreadful starts in a row and lead their team to a sweep over Miami. Instead, we got the shocking news that Harvey would not be making his scheduled start at Citi Field because New York suspended him for three games starting on Saturday.

The reason for the penalty is still unclear, but Harvey may not serve it quietly. Baseball insider Jon Heyman is reporting that the right-handed pitcher could file a grievance against his team to fight the suspension. If Harvey does indeed appeal to an independent arbitrator, we could hear more details leak about what happened on Saturday that led to the suspension.

All we know right now is that Harvey was not at Citi Field on Saturday night while the Mets were blowing out Miami. Heyman is reporting that the reason for that is a migraine headache that Harvey sustained after playing golf.

Harvey didn’t go to the ballpark Saturday, and apparently that is behind the suspension, though the Mets aren’t saying the reason for the absence or the ban. Harvey sees it as a miscommunication, according to sources, as people close to him say he played golf early Saturday, got a headache when he returned home around 1 p.m., and advised the Mets of this issue.

It seems dubious that the Mets would suspend one of their most popular players for suffering from a terrible headache and letting them know about it. Maybe that’s why the word “miscommunication” is being thrown around, although the Mets are saying that this is about more than whatever happened on Saturday.

Before Sunday, the Mets seemed to be finally rounding into form despite a rash of injuries. The club had just rolled off four wins in five games, including a dramatic comeback win over Miami on Friday night. Just hours later, Harvey has been suspended and the team has been shut out after the replacement starter Adam Wilk allowed six runs while lasting fewer than four innings. Same old Mets, right?