New York Mets Pitcher Matt Harvey Throws Batting Practice

New York Mets starter Matt Harvey takes his next step towards a return as he threw live batting practice on Tuesday.

The New York Mets tweeted a video of injury-plagued starting pitcher Matt Harvey throwing batting practice at Citi Field.

Back on the mound. @MattHarvey33 throwing live BP. #Mets pic.twitter.com/2gWcSTHmmX

— New York Mets (@Mets) August 8, 2017

Harvey has been out since June with a broken bone in his shoulder. The break was the result of a stress fracture as opposed to a single blow from, say, a line drive or an impact such as a fall.

Harvey throwing from the mound to live hitters is a huge step in the right direction. The shoulder is clearly healing well and it shouldn’t be long until Harvey is able to begin a rehab assignment.

The next step in the rehab, assuming he has no setbacks as a result of throwing off the mound, is to begin throwing simulated games. Harvey will probably need to go to St. Lucie to throw those before he begins a rehab assignment. There is about a month remaining in the minor league season — if Harvey hopes to return to the Mets this September, he’ll have to find his way to MiLB.

Assuming there are no setbacks, Harvey should be able to complete a rehab assignment and rejoin the rotation in September. However, the ultimate goal is to have him back in 2018, and the team won’t rush him back.