What It Means:

It was his first time throwing since he was shut down with discomfort in the elbow last week. Wheeler received a cortisone injection to address nerve irritation and will now try to ramp things up again. The Mets were originally aiming for a return around the All-Star break, but obviously his timetable has been pushed back a bit now.

Wheeler last pitched in the majors in 2014, showing lots of promise by posting a 3.49 xFIP and a 23.6 strikeout percentage across 185 1/3 innings. Our models currently project Wheeler to face 333 batters across 78 innings on the year, recording a 4.49 ERA with a 16.2 percent strikeout rate.