Just Mets

Zack Wheeler underwent Tommy John Surgery in mid-March to repair a fully torn UCL in his right elbow.

It was also revealed he had a torn tendon in the same elbow, which resulted in a more complex procedure which he had said would elongate his recovery time to mid-year, 2016.

On Friday afternoon in Atlanta, Wheeler joined his teammates and told reporters he remains on-track to return to a major league mound in 12-13 months.

Wheeler said he expects to begin a throwing program in about a month.

It will be almost two years between big league starts for Wheeler when he eventually returns, so it’s not going to be a quick and easy process for him once he gets back. His procedure was a little different than most Tommy John cases because of the torn tendon, an injury he apparently sustained last year but dealt with through the end of the 2014 season.

It would be interesting to understand if the instability in the elbow caused by the torn tendon eventually led to the torn elbow ligament. The team maintains the torn ligament was not present on previous MRI exams until the one Wheeler underwent in March, which is when he was knee deep in his spring training throwing program.

Whatever the case is, he has a long road ahead and a long time before he’ll be in peak form. The good news is he’s still young and there’s plenty of time for him to bounce back and live up to the expectations that have followed him since he turned pro.