Matt Harvey to Mets, Start on Thursday

Harvey time has begun! The Mets announced on Twitter Sunday evening that Matt Harvey will be activated on Tuesday and will get his first major league start in Arizona on Thursday.

I get the impression that Sandy Alderson did not want to make this move. He kept saying the team’s needs would not supersede Harvey’s development. But after watching Miguel Batista (since designated for assignment) get knocked around on Saturday, somebody had to be called up to start on Thursday. Jeremy Hefner is already starting on Wednesday, and no one wants to see Chris Schwinden in the orange and blue again. So Alderson really had no other choice; the team’s needs did indeed take precedence.

So far this season in Buffalo Harvey is 7-5 with a 3.86 ERA. He has 112 strikeouts in 110 innings. Harvey was hit hard in his last start Saturday night — five innings, six runs allowed.

Still though, this is the right move. Maybe it is a little sooner than the Mets would like, but it is time for Harvey to show whether he belongs in the majors. The Mets are counting on Harvey and the other three top pitching prospects to be a huge part of the team’s future. Well, the future is now.