PHILADELPHIA – The New York Mets are shutting down righthander Zack Wheeler for the rest of the season as a precaution, ending a career-best year in which he logged nearly 100 more innings than 2017.
Manager Mickey Callaway said they'd be "probably taking the best care of him" by holding him out of his final two starts.
"I feel like I had a good season," Wheeler said. "I would have liked to have finished it out, but getting 100 more innings than last season without doing that much the past two years, I think it makes sense to kind of shut it down."
Wheeler missed two full seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2015. He returned last season and was 3-7 with a 5.21 ERA in 17 starts. After beginning this season in Class AAA following a difficult spring training, Wheeler was called up in April and went 12-7 with a 3.31 ERA in 29 starts while throwing 182⅓ innings.
"He always knew he could be this guy. But when you're actually that guy it kind of opens your eyes to, 'OK, I've got this and I'm going to move forward with it,' " Callaway said.
Wheeler, 28, was dominant after the All-Star break, going 9-1 with a 1.68 ERA and solidifying his hold as the No. 3 starter behind Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard.
Associated Press
