NEW YORK -- Once ticketed for the bullpen, Steven Matz now appears headed for the injured list instead.

Matz has been suffering from left shoulder discomfort since earlier this week, Mets manager Luis Rojas said after the lefty pitched a scoreless inning of relief Saturday in a 2-1 loss to the Yankees. Following that outing, Matz spoke with members of the Mets’ training staff, then underwent further evaluation that may include an MRI.

Rojas indicated Matz is likely to go on the IL before Sunday’s doubleheader.

“It feels like that,” Rojas said. “Let’s wait, but just to see that with him, it feels like that.”

Matz was unavailable to speak after the game because he was undergoing evaluation from the Mets’ training and medical staffs. According to Rojas, he initially complained of shoulder soreness when the Mets returned from their four-game COVID-19 hiatus on Monday. The Mets put Matz through a treatment program, from which he emerged “feeling good.”

Just before the coronavirus break, the Mets had announced their intentions to convert Matz from the rotation to the bullpen. Upon returning from that break, Rojas indicated he did not intend to use Matz in relief, though it seemed to be because the Mets would need him as a starter with nine games scheduled over a six-day stretch. The manager clarified Saturday that Matz was unavailable due to his shoulder issue.

By Saturday, however, Matz was feeling well enough to appear in a game. He entered in the fifth at Yankee Stadium, striking out two in a perfect inning before departing. The Mets’ intention was to have him pitch multiple innings, keeping him stretched out as a long reliever.

Instead, Rojas said, “We didn’t feel good about him going back.”

Should Matz indeed land on the IL, the Mets could promote reliever Drew Smith, whom they recently optioned to their alternate training site in Brooklyn, to replace him. Or, if they prefer a long man, rookie Franklyn Kilome is available.

The setback is something that would have been typical for Matz earlier in his career, when he struggled through injuries and frequently landed on the IL. But he rebounded to start 30 games in each of the last two seasons, reaching a career high with 160 1/3 innings last year.

His bullpen demotion was due not to a lack of durability, but a lack of success: in three August starts, Matz went 0-3 with a 14.66 ERA.

“He’s in a good position right now,” Rojas said earlier Saturday. “I saw him earlier today and he was like, ‘I’m ready.’ He’s ready. He’s ready to go. He’s ready to get the ball whenever, and he’s worked hard. He’s had a couple of sessions just to work on some specific things, so I am comfortable using him whenever.”

Ouch!
Mets third baseman J.D. Davis appeared to be in severe pain after Aroldis Chapman struck him on the left hip with a 99 mph fastball in the ninth inning Saturday, but Davis shook off the discomfort and remained in the game.

“It was one of those that numbs you a little bit,” Rojas said. “But then when it went away, he told me that he was OK.”