As Matt Harvey tries to resurrect his career in Queens, another right-hander who had plenty of success in New York could relate to the struggles Harvey is going through — and knows there might not be a great ending for either of them.
Phil Hughes made his first start of the season for the Twins on Sunday, giving up two runs in 3 ¹/₃ innings as he comes back from a second procedure to address thoracic outlet syndrome — the same thing Harvey dealt with.
“It’s one of those things, you look at guys that have had this procedure, there’s not an incredible track record of them coming back to be just as good,” the ex-Yankee said Monday in The Bronx. “I hope I can do it and Matt can, too. But you’re going in not knowing if you’re gonna have to be the first guy to get all his stuff back.”
Hughes, 31, had his first TOS procedure done in June 2016, but the symptoms of numbness in his hands returned and he ended up going under the knife again last July to remove more of a rib, as well as muscles in his neck and pectoral area.
“Obviously, the velocity has been slow to pick up,” Hughes said. “For me, I just wanted to feel normal again.”
And he understands from having pitched in New York, the added challenges of coming back under the spotlight.
“He came on the scene and was so good,’’ Hughes said. “Everyone expected him to maintain that. He’s a guy that had an operation and wasn’t as good as he was. When you’re in this market, it’s gonna wear on you. I think it’s been tough for him.”
Now, Harvey has been moved to the bullpen, a shift that he bristled at — which Hughes also understood.
“He was asked [by the media] if he was OK to go to the bullpen,” Hughes said. “He’s been a dominant starter, so of course you believe you can come back and be a starter again. Those comments can be looked at in a couple of different ways.”
Hughes pointed to when he was sent to the pen in 2009 — but he also acknowledged the differences in the two situations.
“I’d tell him to embrace the bullpen,’’ Hughes said. “I think attitude has a lot to do with it. If you’re gonna go down there and not be happy about it, you’re probably not gonna perform well. Obviously, we had different circumstances. When I was put in the pen, I was ecstatic just to be in the big leagues.”
A more pressing concern for Hughes is getting back to pitching well.
“Mentally, it’s just as taxing as physically,” said Hughes, who will be a free agent after next season. “I’m getting paid a lot of money right now and not living up to it. That wears on me more than anything. But I’m closer than I was last year.”
