Well Twitter blew up today when Jon Heyman wrote that Scott Boras has a problem with how the Mets are handling Matt Harvey‘s return from Tommy John surgery. 

Scott Boras now says the doctors said there was a strict 180 innings limit suggested by the doctors. The Mets denied there was a hard cap. Dr. James Andrews did little to settle the debate. By the way, great job by Tyler Kepner for getting Dr. Andrews on the phone and asking the question that needed to be asked. 

While they are on opposite sides now, they were united in trying to get him surgery. They were on the same page during the rehabilitation. What happened?  Before going into conjecture, let’s look at some facts. 

First, Harvey’s pitch velocity has been in a steady decline since July, which may indicate fatigue. Second, he was dehydrated during his last start. He was left behind in New York to receive treatment. Third, the Mets recent handling of injuries has left a lot to be desired. While I’ll take Mike Vaccaro at his word that there were no issues on how his injury was first handled, I can’t imagine anyone feels comfortable with how recent injuries have been treated by the Mets. 

Whether he considered this or not, Boras emailed Alderson to inform him of his interpretation of the innings limits instructions from Harvey’s doctors. What we don’t know is if Boras went rogue in trying to protect his client, or was he doing this in consultation with Harvey. 

There may be some clues that Boras didn’t go rogue. Earlier in the year, Harvey was irritated over the six man rotation designed to get him to October. Now?  Harvey is on board with the decision to skip one or two of his starts. It should be noted that before the year, Harvey said he would agree with whatever the Mets needed to do to get him starts in October. 

What is clear is everyone involved is taking Harvey’s innings seriously. While it may have been a better way to handle the situation. However, the Mets are skipping two starts and going to a six man rotation in September so Harvey can get starts in October. The Mets want him to start Game One of the NLDS. 

This is part of what the Mets have always said was part of Harvey’s soft innings cap. For his part, Boras was on board with the rehab plan and never voiced displeasure with any soft innings cap. We know Boras isn’t one to bite his tongue. There’s a reason he speaking up now. The Mets have understandably dug in their heels. 

I know Alderson and Boras aren’t the best of friends, but they need to get back on the same page on this one. For starters, they need to figure out how Harvey is feeling, especially when it seems he’s fatigued. I will never advocate a shut down. I’m not crazy with the skipped starts. However, I will never advocate putting a player’s health in jeopardy.  

To a lesser extent, the Mets need to get rid of the distraction. For his part, Terry Collins put a gag order in place, even if he couldn’t help but giving Boras his own shot. The good news is that this is a resilient team that did not seem distracted yesterday. 

The time for public banter has ceased. The Mets, Boras, Harvey and his doctors need to sit down together to determine if Harvey can pitch more this year. It’s everyone’s responsibility to get Harvey pitching in October and beyond.  It’s everyone’s responsibility to keep him healthy. 

I want a World Series this year. I also want to see a healthy and effective Harvey for years to come. Let’s find a way to make it work.