Matt Harvey knows who he isn’t anymore.
The fastball and slider he used to emasculate scores of major league hitters are gone, forever altered after undergoing Tommy John surgery, and another procedure for thoracic outlet syndrome.
So, if the former All-Star Game starter doesn’t begin trusting his secondary pitches, it will make it much easier for the Mets to determine which pitcher to remove from the rotation when left-hander Jason Vargas returns.
Vargas is expected to throw a minor league rehab assignment Sunday. He could be back in the majors as soon as the Mets’ final April series, and Harvey currently is the most likely candidate to lose his spot.
“[Harvey] has to evolve and he has to understand who he is now,” pitching coach Dave Eiland said before the Mets’ 11-5 win over the Nationals on Wednesday night. “Even if he was the Harvey of a few years ago, before the injuries, he would still have to use his secondary stuff like [Noah] Syndergaard is.
“[In his most recent start], he got fastball-slider happy and everything was away, away, away. He didn’t attempt to establish in, so they were comfortable at-bats. He wasn’t slowing them down with his curveball or changeup. Just being a two-pitch guy, you’re making it a lot easier on hitters.”
Harvey returns to the mound Thursday night in Atlanta, hoping to end his franchise-worst stretch of 11 straight starts in which he has failed to throw more than five innings.
After posting a career-worst 6.70 ERA last season, Harvey is 0-1 with a 4.80 ERA through three starts this year, and opponents are batting .290 against him.
Likely battling with Steven Matz, who started Wednesday, and Zack Wheeler to remain in the rotation, Harvey may only have two more starts to save himself from a once-unthinkable demotion.
“We’re gonna take everything — the history — into account, and do what’s best for the team to win,” Eiland said. “We’re not gonna do things just to appease players or make them happy. … We’ll make that decision when we have to make it. We’re a week or 10 days away from that.”
Though neither Eiland nor manager Mickey Callaway seemed enthusiastic about using a six-man rotation when Vargas returns, both said it was a possibility.
“I think it’s one of the many decision we have to make and we’re looking at it,” Callaway said. “It’s something that we’ll keep in mind for sure.”
Should the performances over the next week or so only make the decision more challenging, Callaway said there are several other factors he will use to make his decision.
“I think when you have all things even and you’re trying to make a tough decision, it comes down to the little things, like controlling the running game, fielding your position,” Callaway said. “I think it always comes down to that, whether you’re looking to call a guy up to the major league level to help you or replace a guy in the rotation for whatever reason. I think another thing we have to keep in mind is who do we think can go into the bullpen and help us strategically, and a pitcher that can have the routine that will allow him to pitch out of the pen.”
