Mets manager: Matt Harvey will open season in rotation, won't be held back for home opener
New York Mets general manager Sandy Alderson and manager Terry Collins are not seeing eye to eye on how to handle Matt Harvey's workload.
Collins told reporters Saturday that Harvey will be part of his starting rotation right out of the gate this season, and won't be held back until the team's home opener on April 13 as Alderson previously speculated.
Alderson said Friday that 200 innings is the target for Harvey this season as he eases back into action following October 2013 Tommy John surgery. One suggested way to keep his innings down was to skip him the first time through the rotation. Collins shot down the idea Saturday, noting there's no plan to skip any of Harvey's starts.
The Mets have the luxury of exceptional starting pitching depth entering training camp. Bartolo Colon, Jon Niese, Zack Wheeler, Jacob deGrom and Dillon Gee can all eat innings, so the onus won't be solely on Harvey to lead the staff.
Harvey recorded a 9-5 record with an impressive 2.27 ERA in 2013, while throwing a career-high 178 1/3 innings.