Mets demote Matt Harvey to bullpen - and 'he's pissed off' and motivated

Matt Harvey has pitched his way out of the New York Mets' rotation.

Mets manager Mickey Callaway announced Saturday that the struggling right-hander has been removed from his role as a starter and will be available out of the bullpen as a reliever beginning Tuesday.

"On a scale of one-to-10, I'm at a 10 at being pissed off," Havey told reporters. "My performance hasn't been there and I have to do whatever I have to do to get back in the starting rotation and right now that's go to the bullpen, work on some things, get back to where I need to be, get my sh-t in order.

"It's the decision that they made, I have to suck it up, go out there, and do everything I can to get things back in gear. I don't have to agree with it but I have to go out and do the best that I can."

After a promising performance during spring training, Harvey has been dismal out of the gate. He's allowed at least four runs in each of the last three outings, and owns a 6.00 ERA and 1.43 WHIP in four starts. He's also surrendered four home runs in just 21 innings.

Following his last start Thursday in which he allowed a season-high six runs over six innings against the Atlanta Braves, Harvey said he has no interest in moving to the bullpen, saying: "I'm a starter pitcher, I've always been a starting pitcher."

Callaway said he hopes the decision to demote Harvey will result in something positive for all sides.

"He kind of told us he's pissed off right now and motivated to show everybody that he can be a starter," Callaway said, according to Tim Healey of Newsday.

Throughout Harvey's six-year career, he's come out of the bullpen just once - pitching four innings of relief last September against the Washington Nationals.

"I know when things click, that I can be one of the best in baseball," Harvey said. "And that's as a starting pitcher."

Harvey is in the final year of his contract that will pay him $5.625 million.