Syndergaard leaves in 5th with arm fatigue
What was already a bad day in Queens just turned into a full-blown nightmare.
New York Mets ace Noah Syndergaard left Friday's start against the Washington Nationals after 4 2/3 innings with what the team later called "arm fatigue."
The Mets said the injury isn't elbow-related.
Syndergaard threw a pitch and appeared to feel some discomfort, which prompted manager Terry Collins, catcher Rene Rivera, and the team's trainers to visit the mound. After a long talk, the 23-year-old was removed from the game. He was replaced by Seth Lugo as part of a double switch.
"He just said his arm went dead. It got tired on him," Collins told reporters after his team's 3-1 loss.
Syndergaard's last two fastballs were charted at 93 and 91 mph, according to ESPN's Adam Rubin. He's averaging 97.1 mph on his fastball this season, per FanGraphs.
Last month, the Mets received a scare when Syndergaard left a start after six innings with what was later revealed to be elbow discomfort. After visiting the doctors he avoided a trip to the disabled list; the right-hander later said an increased workload caused the issue.
While many were immediately concerned that Syndergaard had a more serious elbow injury this time, Collins quickly shot down those thoughts.
"He tells me there's nothing wrong (with his elbow)," he said. "He's just tired."
Related: Syndergaard blames workload for elbow flare-up
Syndergaard threw a career-high 198 2/3 innings in 2015 - 29 2/3 innings at Triple-A Las Vegas, 150 regular-season frames with the Mets, and 19 innings in the postseason. In 2014, pitching solely in Las Vegas, he threw just 133 innings. He's thrown more than 90 pitches in 13 of his 18 starts this year, and more than 100 pitches six times.
His early exit likely ends any hope of him pitching in Tuesday's All-Star Game in San Diego. Syndergaard was considered a candidate to start the game, especially with Collins piloting the NL squad.
The news continues what's been an awful day of injuries for the Mets. Syndergaard's rotation mate Matt Harvey was shut down for the season earlier in the day, while All-Star outfielder Yoenis Cespedes left Friday's game after three innings with a strained right quad.