Jon Niese does not need heart surgery

The New York Mets got some good news yesterday, as it emerged that southpaw Jon Niese will not have to undergo heart surgery after all, reports Adam Rubin of ESPN:

Jonathon Niese, who had indicated he would undergo a heart procedure this offseason, now is able to avoid the surgery.

Doctors at the Cleveland Clinic told Niese the procedure will not be necessary after all, Sandy Alderson told ESPNNewYork.com.

The 26-year-old Niese had experienced a rapid heart rate at times while throwing over the last two seasons, so it was thought he would undergo an ablation at some point this winter to get his heart rhythm under control. Rubin does not give any indication as to why the procedure is no longer necessary but one can speculate that perhaps the arrhythmia has been corrected by medication.

The tall left-hander put together his best season thus far in 2012, posting a 3.40 ERA and 7.3 K/9 rate in 190⅓ innings for the Mets. Niese has now been a full-time member of the Mets' rotation for three seasons, and owns a 3.97 ERA over 521⅓ innings in that span.

Congratulations are also in order for Niese as he will be marrying his fiancee, Leah Eckman, in Ohio on Saturday.