NEW YORK -- The New York Mets' level of concern regarding Steven Matz escalated Friday when the rookie left-hander continued to experience back stiffness and was dispatched to team doctors.
Manager Terry Collins said it is now unlikely that Matz will pitch during the final weekend of the regular season.
Matz could pitch early next week in the fall instructional league in Port St. Lucie, Florida, if he is healthy by then. But the momentum seems to be accelerating for Bartolo Colon to join the Division Series rotation over Matz.
Matz was scratched from a midweek start in Philadelphia when the back issue arose. At the time, the Mets faulted Matz sleeping awkwardly.
“I think the concern level has certainly gone up,” general manager Sandy Alderson said. “It hasn’t seemed to get better. I probably downplayed it a little too much at the outset based on hope rather than information. The fact that it hasn’t responded particularly well is concerning. But that doesn’t mean it won’t respond quickly over the next few days. These things are hard to predict.”
Alderson added that the Mets’ pitching depth provides a safety net.
“I don’t think this puts us in a bind,” the GM said. “One of the byproducts of having a six-man rotation, at least for a while, is that we have six choices. So I don’t think it puts us in a bind. It just changes the decision-making somewhat.”
Alderson noted that the postseason roster does not need to be submitted until next Friday -- the morning of the NLDS opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“We’ll just have to make a decision,” Alderson said. “If we decide Steven is not in the rotation for whatever reason, he’ll be considered for the bullpen, and either be put in it or not based on, probably, a whole different set of criteria. We’ll just have to see what happens over the course of the week.”
Collins previously has suggested Matz is not a good candidate for the bullpen because his body takes time to rebound when he pitches. Still, Collins said Friday: “If he goes down [to the instructional league] and gets through that and comes out OK, I’d probably have to say there’s a good shot he’d be on.”
Also on the injury front:
Yoenis Cespedes was due to be in the lineup Friday against the Washington Nationals before the game was rained out, so his left hand appears OK two days after getting struck by a pitch from Philadelphia’s Justin De Fratus.
Juan Uribe's chest injury is “not much better,” Collins said. That continues to fuel skepticism that he will be ready for the NLDS. Uribe originally suffered the cartilage-based injury nearly two weeks ago. He continues to have significant swelling.
Wilmer Flores' back injury is improving, but the infielder is dealing with a flare-up of strep throat.
As for all the medical drama, Alderson said: “Look, there are always things to deal with. We know that. We’re constantly reminded of that. At the same time, you take it as it comes. You can never be too definitive seven days before events take place. One of the things that’s happened over the course of this season is we’ve dealt with uncertainty. We’ve dealt with unexpected turns. We’ve lost players.
"One of things I appreciate about this team is that has not deterred us. It doesn’t mean we’re guaranteed anything, or that we won’t be deterred in the future. We’re going to do the best with what we have.”