New York Mets left-hander Jonathon Niese has been cleared to resume throwing later this week after undergoing an MRI in New York on Monday.
Niese has no structural damage in his left elbow, according to CBSSports.com. He received a cortisone injection and will rest for two to three days before he starts throwing.
Niese was examined by team doctor David Altchek at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan, a day after departing a spring training game against the St. Louis Cardinals after two innings and 35 pitches because of elbow discomfort.
“He sent (pitching coach) Dan (Warthen) a text this morning. He said they felt there was nothing and he’ll be back on the mound here in a couple of days,” manager Terry Collins said, according to ESPN.com. “It was good to hear. Now we’ll do a sigh of relief and come up with a plan to finish out the last two weeks with him.”
The Mets do not need a fifth starter until April 6, against the Cincinnati Reds at Citi Field. That would be the day Niese would be eligible to be activated from the disabled list — if the team decides to start him on it.
“I’d love to have him,” Collins said. “But if we need to give him some extra days, it’s no big deal. We can keep him back and let him pitch one more time down here.”
Niese had been dispatched to New York earlier in camp for an MRI of his left shoulder, but team doctors diagnosed him with weakness in the muscles of the scapula area near the left shoulder blade.