MLB PLAYER NEWS

Harvey’s first spring start set for Friday

The Sports Xchange

March 03, 2015 at 5:14 pm.

Matt Harvey's return will boost the Mets pitching staff. (Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports)

The New York Mets begin Grapefruit League play on Wednesday. And as will be the case once the regular-season schedule starts April 6, all the attention will be focused not on who pitches the opener but on whatever subsequent day Matt Harvey is scheduled to take the mound.

For the record, right-hander Dillon Gee will start against the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday. Harvey’s official spring debut doesn’t happen until Friday, when the rehabbing right-hander will start against the Detroit Tigers and their ace left-hander David Price.

Coincidentally — or not — Friday marks the Mets’ spring training home debut at Tradition Field. The game also will be the first of the spring televised in New York on SNY as well as the first game in which second baseman Daniel Murphy, third baseman David Wright and outfielders Michael Cuddyer and Curtis Granderson participate.

The alignment of the spring training rotation might be a sign of things to come for the regular season, which the Mets begin with a six-game road trip to Washington and Atlanta.

The New York Post reported Tuesday that the Mets’ preliminary plan is to start Harvey in the third game of the season on April 9 and have him take his next turn in the rotation five days later against the Philadelphia Phillies in the second home game of the season at Citi Field.

The order of the Mets’ rotation has yet to be determined, but the only sure thing is that Harvey will not start on Opening Day. The most likely candidates to start the opener are right-handers Bartolo Colon and Zack Wheeler, though the Mets have two other viable candidates. Left-hander Jonathon Niese drew the Opening Day nod in 2013 and right-hander Jacob deGrom is the reigning National League Rookie of the Year.

Harvey, who last appeared on a major league mound on Aug. 24, 2013, continued ramping up for his Grapefruit League debut by throwing 26 batting practice pitches to Wright and Granderson on Monday morning.

It was, like most things involving Harvey, an event, with general manager Sandy Alderson strolling over to watch and reporters gathering around Wright’s locker afterward.

“So we’re going to do this after every live BP, huh?” Wright said with a grin. “Can we start games already?”