Jonathon Niese to Miss Start

Jonathon Niese will miss his next scheduled start for the Mets on Saturday because of tendinitis in his pitching shoulder.

Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com tweets that Terry Collins said Niese would be skipped “at least” one start. Collins said the shoulder has been bothering Niese for his past few starts.

Which is weird because Jonathon Niese has been pitching better in his past three starts than anytime this season. He has thrown 20.1 innings, allowing just three earned runs. He lowered his ERA over the span from an unseemly 5.93 to 4.40, on the road to respectability. Maybe he should pitch with an ailing shoulder more often.

Collin McHugh will take Niese’s place in the rotation. Zack Wheeler is set to pitch on Saturday in the minors as well, but Collins said Wheeler was not considered for a promotion.

This should put to rest the latest lie from Sandy Alderson that the Super 2 deadline, which will be sometime in mid-June, has absolutely nothing to do with the timing of Wheeler’s eventual promotion. You know what they say: when people claim it is not about the money, it is always about the money. There are people who actually believe Alderson. You know what they also say: there is a sucker born every minute.

In any case, Jonathon Niese will miss at least one start, and that is not good news at all.