Steven Matz had surgery in late September to remove a large bone spur from his pitching elbow. He ended his season early due to a rotator cuff impingement, which Sandy Alderson said in November did not require surgery. Instead, Matz received a platelet-rich plasma injection in his left shoulder.
The pain from the bone spur kept him from throwing his slider the way he wanted to in 2016, he explained to SNY's Mets Hot Stove on Thursday. However, now that the pain is gone, he intends to throw the slider (and other pitchers) more than he did last season.