Mets Place Trade Target Zack Wheeler On Injured List

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There could now be a bit of a snag in the Zack Wheeler trade talks.

According to WFAN baseball insider Jon Heyman, the Mets are placing Wheeler on the 10-day injured list. Wheeler was apparently dealing with shoulder fatigue on Sunday while he was preparing for his scheduled start on Tuesday.

Zack Wheeler to DL. Shoulder fatigue. Discovered coming out of all star break when preparing for start. That kind of a year.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 15, 2019

The Mets have reportedly made Wheeler available as they look to cut their losses on a disappointing season by selling their assets before the trade deadline. Quite a few teams have been linked with a move for Wheeler, including the Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs and Braves.

This injury could be an obstacle in the way of the Mets’ desire to deal Wheeler. The starting pitcher’s placement on the injured list is retroactively dated to Friday, so he will be eligible for activation on July 22. Major League Baseball's trade deadline is on July 31, so Wheeler could presumably make two more starts before that point if he is able to return to the field on Monday.

Mets pitcher Zack Wheeler pitches during the first inning against the Phillies on Sept. 17, 2018, at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.USA TODAY Images

In 19 games started in 2019, Wheeler is 6-6 with a 4.69 ERA. Wheeler was quite dominant in 2018, going 12-7 with a 3.31 ERA and 1.124 WHIP over 182.1 innings.

The injury seems to be minor, which should still make Wheeler tradeable, but only if Brodie Van Wagenen has truly decided that the Mets should be sellers before the deadline.

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