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Zack Wheeler is well on his way to returning to the Mets rotation at some point in 2016, but there's at least one small bump in the road. Earlier today, Adam Rubin reported that Wheeler is set to have surgery, but it's not expected to seriously set-back his timeline.
"New York Mets right-hander Zack Wheeler is due to undergo a minor surgical procedure to remove an undissolved stitch from last year's Tommy John surgery, a source told ESPN.com. The operation is not considered serious, and Wheeler may resume his normal pitching rehab within two weeks, after allowing the wound to heal."
This is obviously unwelcome news, but fortunately everything else appears to be going well for Wheeler. His MRI was "super clean", and while he has to push back his rehab by a couple weeks, there's no structural damage in Wheeler's elbow.
He last pitched in a big league game in late September of 2014, and according to Rubin, the Mets are targeting a return date of July 1st. New York already has a fearsome rotation with Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, and Steven Matz, and adding Wheeler to the mix will only make them more terrifying.