Yesterday, both Stephen Strasburg and Steven Matz were placed on the disabled list for very different reasons. 

The Nationals put Strasburg on the disabled list as a precaution as the pitcher complained of elbow stiffness. General Manager Mike Rizzo felt it was the right move saying, “We felt like the prudent thing to do – like we always have with our pitchers – was to give him this reset. We’re going to put him on the DL rather than pitch through some routine inflammation and soreness.”  (Washington Post). 

These are the things you do when you sign a pitcher to a seven year $175 million contract extension. Teams are afforded this luxury when you enter the day 8.5 game up in the division with a 99.99% chance of making the playoffs. 

The Mets, who are in a different position than the Nationals, took a completely different course with Matz. 

Matz wasn’t dealing with “routine inflammation or soreness,” rather he was dealing with bone spurs that were affecting his ability to finish his pitches. When asked about how to proceed, Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson said, “At this point it’s a function of whether he can tolerate the discomfort while continuing to pitch. What we will do is monitor this discomfort, monitor his mechanics to make sure whatever discomfort he has doesn’t cause him to do something that might lead to something else, and we’ll monitor it on a start-by-start basis.”  (ESPN). 

Before each and every start, Matz needed to take painkillers before every start to manage the pain in his elbow, and now, Matz’s elbow discomfort has led to a shoulder injury.  Matz has gone from pitching through bone spurs to landing on the disabled list with what the Mets are calling a mild strain and inflammation of his rotator cuff. 

It should be noted this wasn’t the prudent course with Matz. Quite to the contrary. In fact, according to Jon Heyman, the Mets reportedly talked Matz out of getting surgery to remove the bone spurs despite him pitching with the bone spurs for at least a month with declining production. 

At the time the Mets reported Matz’s bone spurs, the Mets were 40-35.  They were 4.0 games out in the National League East, and they were a half a game behind the Marlins for the second Wild Card. 

Beginning with the start prior to the June 27th announcement, Matz has gone 2-5 with a 4.20 ERA and a 1.300 WHIP. Before that date, Matz was 7-3 with a 2.74 ERA and a 1.134 WHIP.

During this post-June 27th stretch, the Mets have fine 22-27 slipping to 11.0 games behind in the National League East and 4.5 games behind for the second Wild Card. 

The Mets pushed Matz, and they got declining production from him as they fell lower in the standings. Now, the Mets have lost Matz for at least three starts while the team is fighting for their playoff lives. 

It makes you question whether things would have gone differently if the Mets took the prudent course in erring on the side of caution to protect their young pitchers arm instead of pushing him into another injury.