Matt Harvey wants to pitch this season and Mets might relent: Report

Matt Harvey is planning to pitch this season — and the Mets might actually be down with his quest to get back on the mound sooner than later.

Might be.

Less than three weeks away from throwing off a mound for the first time since his Oct. 22 Tommy John surgery, the rehabbing Mets righthander said Tuesday the idea of pitching for the club in August or September felt “possible.”

Harvey wants to be pitching by August, telling Sports Illustrated that coming back well ahead of the typical 12-month recovery time for Tommy John surgery will give him "peace of mind."

"Of course, I won't do it unless I'm cleared to do it," Harvey said. "But I want to pitch before the year ends. I want to make five, six, seven starts this year. I asked , 'If I want to come back in August, when do I need to start throwing off a mound?' They said June 10. So, that's what we have penciled in right now. That's the plan."

General manager Sandy Alderson said he can understand why injured players want to return early, though to him it's an "open question" whether it is counterproductive for players recovering from Tommy John surgery.

“I don’t think the original schedule has changed. He is still scheduled to go on the mound in early June,” Alderson said. “Whether he comes back this year or next will be a function of how he rehabs once he gets back on the mound. It will also be subject to the best medical information we can obtain, from our doctors and whatever other information that is out there that might shed light on what’s an appropriate recovery time.”

But a cautious Alderson will stand his ground if necessary.

"But the one thing we don't want to do is be put in a situation [where] someone, Matt or anyone else, has a setback because we've pushed a natural recovery process further than we should have," he added.