Mets’ Tylor Megill says increased velocity could be reason for recent injury: ‘I’ve been trying to reprogram'

Tylor Megill was the early-season success story for the 2022 Mets. With a rotation that was slated to be headlined by the one-two punch of Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer, it was Megill who took the baseball world by storm.

In April, the 26-year-old pitched to a 4-0 record and a 1.93 ERA, but after a couple of clunkers in May, he landed on the IL with biceps tendinitis. Megill would return in mid June but would land right back on the IL with a right shoulder strain.

Two arm injuries back-to-back could mean something is going on with Megill’s mechanics, and he thinks he has an idea of what it could be: his increased velocity.

In a talk with Newsday, Megill said the uptick in velocity “could be” a reason for his recent arm troubles. In his rookie season, Megill averaged 94.6 mph on his fastball and that has increased to 95.7 mph this season.

He’s hit 99 mph this season already and that mindset to throw harder and harder has put the young right-hander in an odd predicament early in his career. In a league that emphasizes velocity, Megill will now have to rein it in. 

“I’ve just been trying to reprogram to not chase numbers,” Megill told Newsday. “I guess the whole Scherzer/[Justin] Verlander deal. Sit at a certain velocity and use the velo when I need it. Keep the arm healthy like that.

“It’s very tempting, obviously, when I’ve had this whole velo bump, to be throwing hard. It’s exciting. But it’s not working to my benefit to throw that hard every inning, every pitch, and watching it dip down.”

Mets pitching coach Jeremy Hefner and the team’s medical staff, as well as Scherzer, have suggested Megill take it easy and he’s taking it to heart. Megill says he is now looking to stay in the 94-96 range in the first few innings and punch the velocity up when it’s needed later.

But the goal is to stay healthy for the rest of the season to help the Mets keep the NL East crown and go deep into the playoffs.

“I just need to keep my head around staying in that [range] and not trying to get too crazy with it,” Megill said.

There’s no timetable for Megill’s return, but after being transferred to the 60-day IL in late June, he won’t be back until at least mid-August.