Matthew Allan, Photo by Ed Delany of MMN
In a bombshell, it was reported Matt Allan underwent UCL revision surgery in January. Allan, 21, had undergone Tommy John surgery in May 2021, and he had undergone ulnar nerve transposition surgery in January 2022.
Director of player development Kevin Howard said Allan “felt pain he shouldn’t have been feeling for long enough that everyone agreed this step was necessary.” (Tim Healey, Newsday). Howard also noted Allan had felt pain during his rehab throwing program in 2022.
As a result of the surgery, it is anticipated Allan will miss the entirety of the 2023 season. With 2020 minor league games being canceled due to the pandemic and Allan’s first UCL surgery, Allan will not have pitched in a game in over five years.
Notably, Allan has only thrown 10 1/3 innings as a professional. That came shortly after the New York Mets shocked the baseball world making him their third round draft pick.
The Mets have seen their young pitchers have similar problems in their Tommy John recoveries. Zack Wheeler underwent Tommy John in March 2015. Due to a number of setbacks, he did not pitch again until April 2017. He did not return to form until the second half of the 2018 season. Since that time, he has been an All-Star with two top 12 Cy Young finishes.
Mets pitching coach Jeremy Hefner underwent multiple Tommy John surgeries. After undergoing his first surgery in August 2013, he would never again set foot on a Major Leauge mound.
In addition to Allan undergoing UCL revision surgery, Josh Hejka underwent Tommy John surgery. He announced the surgery on his Instagram.
Hejka, 25, was an undrafted free agent out of Johns Hopkins University. The Mets signed him after his stint with the Westside Woolly Mammoths of the USABL in 2019.
Mets submarine specialist Josh Hejka tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings with three strikeouts last night for Double-A Binghamton.
Hejka has 13 strikeouts in 9 1/3 scoreless innings this season.
Here’s his rising slider. pic.twitter.com/pIq8XJO7Kd
— Michael Mayer (@mikemayer22) May 4, 2022
Hejka is a submarine style pitcher. Last season, he made 33 appearances combined for Brooklyn, Binghamton, and Syracuse. He was 5-3 with two saves, a 4.70 ERA, 1.547 WHIP, 3.7 BB/9, and a 9.2 K/9.
