Zack Wheeler has emerged as stalwart of Mets’ rotation

Zack Wheeler spent two years on the shelf, sentenced to the disabled list by Tommy John surgery and a bumpy rehab. Early in spring training, he appeared to be the odd man out of a supercharged starting rotation.

But as the Mets enter the grind of the summer, Wheeler has emerged as the stalwart of a starting rotation that has been too injured and too ineffective to live up to the hype.

In Thursday’s 2-1 loss to the Brewers, Wheeler (3-3) sidestepped trouble to allow one run in 6 1⁄3 innings. Though he took the loss, he lowered his ERA to 3.72, the lowest among the Mets’ starters.

“All I can ask is me being healthy. That’s really the main goal right now is staying healthy,” said Wheeler, who has logged 55 2⁄3 innings with no issues.

If Wheeler stays healthy, the Mets likely will look for ways to curtail Wheeler’s innings, whether through a shutdown or by skipping starts. Thus far, however, he has made himself indispensable.

Against the Brewers — the team that nearly traded for him in 2015 — Wheeler walked one and struck out six. He allowed 10 hits but limited the damage by inducing double plays in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings.

He has four quality starts in his last five outings, and in six starts dating to April 29, Wheeler has pitched to a 2.65 ERA.

“He got out of some jams,” manager Terry Collins said. “Again, he’s back, he’s going to be good. He’s going to be just fine as we continue on.”

Extra bases

The Mets lost out on a scoring chance in the second when Lucas Duda was thrown out at the plate on Travis d’Arnaud’s single to left. Collins said third-base coach Glenn Sherlock looked to be aggressive with two outs and Wheeler due up.