Terry Collins won’t apologize for the early hook he employed on Matt Harvey, but the Mets manager also wants it known he isn’t happy about the situation.
Harvey was yanked after five shutout innings against the Yankees on Sunday because of concerns about his workload in his first season after Tommy John surgery, and Hansel Robles allowed five runs in the sixth.
“Taking Matt out after five innings, was I disturbed?” Collins said before the Mets’ 4-0 triumph over the Braves on Monday. “You’re damn right I was disturbed. But that’s what it is.
“And so I did it for the good of Matt, hopefully, and for the good of the organization in the future that there’s not an injury, that he is OK and that he’s going to come back.”
Collins said there will be no 20/20 hindsight in this instance.
“If it keeps us from winning the pennant, I’m not going to be very happy about it,” Collins said. “But it is what it is and you have to adapt to it, as opposed to leaving him in and creating a tremendous mess that you can’t ever get out of, that that’s the last game he pitches for the season. It’s not worth that.”
Harvey is scheduled to make another abbreviated start this weekend in Cincinnati. Jacob deGrom, who was pushed back from his Tuesday start, is also expected to pitch in the four-game series against the Reds, according to Collins.
Logan Verrett will start Tuesday’s game, with Bartolo Colon scheduled for Wednesday. The Mets had not previously announced the pitching order.
Juan Uribe, who left Sunday’s game with a chest contusion, underwent an MRI exam that showed no structural damage. The Mets are hopeful Uribe will be available in the next day or two. … David Wright was not in the starting lineup Monday as part of a scheduled off night.
Michael Conforto was named the Sterling Minor League Organizational Player of the Year and Robert Gsellman the Pitcher of the Year.
Other players recognized were Travis Taijeron (OF, Triple-A Las Vegas); Gavin Cecchini (SS, Double-A Binghamton); Dominic Smith (1B, Class-A St. Lucie); Luis Guillorme (INF, Single-A Savannah); Alex Palsha (RHP, Single-A Brooklyn) Patrick Mazeika (C, Rookie-Kingsport); Kevin Kaczmarski (OF, Rookie-Kingsport); Adonis Uceta (RHP, Gulf Coast League); Wagner Lagrange (OF, Dominican Summer League); Nicolas Debora (RHP, Dominican Summer League).
