On The Mend: Mets' Familia Set To Pitch For Brooklyn Cyclones
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The Mets' season went off the rails long ago, but there are positive moments to be had going forward.
One would be the return of closer Jeurys Famila. The hard-throwing right-hander has pitched in just 11 games this season due to surgery in May to remove a blood clot in his pitching shoulder. He is scheduled to appear in back-to-back games with the Class A Brooklyn Cyclones on Tuesday and Wednesday.
If things go well, it is possible Familia will rejoin the Mets during the next road trip.
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The 27-year-old closer, who saved 43 games in 2015 and 51 last season, made successful rehab appearances for Class A St. Lucie last week, prompting Mets manager Terry Collins to publicly chart out how Familia can get back to the majors.
"We need to get his pitch count to where he's comfortable throwing 30 pitches in an inning," Collins said on Thursday. "So there's got to be a time where he throws two innings in a rehab (appearance) someplace."
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That could very well happen with the Cyclones, who have lost 10 games in a row and 15 of 16 heading into the start of their three-game series against the visiting Hudson Valley Renegades.
On the rotation front, Matt Harvey's timetable to rejoin the Mets is up in the air. The veteran right-hander, who is working his way back from an extended disabled list stay due to shoulder weakness, has had a handful of rehab starts, with mixed results.
The 28-year-old right-hander had a shaky outing for Brooklyn on Aug. 12, but followed it up with a solid three-inning showing against Aberdeen on Thursday. Pitching for Double-A Binghamton on Monday, Harvey allowed two earned runs and four hits, including a home run, and a walk, tossing 54 pitches, including 32 for strikes, in his three frames.
Harvey hasn't pitched in the majors since June 14, when he allowed three home runs in four innings in the Mets' 9-4 win over the Chicago Cubs.
