Mets Maintaining a Close Eye on Arms, Injured and Otherwise All-Star Game plans are unclear for Matt Harvey, who started Monday night against the Giants. SAN FRANCISCO - The durability of starting pitchers remains one of baseball's most nebulous issues. For the Mets, the topic on Monday arose from all angles, from all parts of the country. In New York, the left-hander Jon Niese, who has been recovering from a rotator cuff injury, was told that he could resume throwing and expect to rejoin the team this season. In St. Louis, the right-hander Shaun Marcum's status remained in flux after his own medical examination. Marcum will not make his next start, but with a final diagnosis pending on his balky arm, his future otherwise remained murky. The most immediate and compelling discussions, though, involved Matt Harvey, the Mets" star right-hander, who over the weekend was named to the National League All-Star team. Harvey was scheduled to make two more starts before the All-Star Game - to be played July 16 at Citi Field - and questions have lingered about how he might be used. For the most part, Manager Terry Collins deflected questions about Harvey, who started Monday night against the San Francisco Giants, saying that he had not spoken to anyone about possible plans for Harvey and that his readiness for the All-Star Game would be decided after his final scheduled start on Saturday. Collins said he did not usually harbor fears about sending his pitchers to the All-Star Game. Still, pitchers are handled delicately these days - particularly highly valued ones like Harvey - and Collins acknowledged a heavy workload Saturday could preclude him from Tuesday's game. "I'd only have an issue if I don't think he's ready to pitch in a game like that," he said. But he added, "If there's a question whether or not he's going to be used, if Saturday night he throws 115 or 120, he probably won't pitch Tuesday." But summing up the premature nature of the conversation, Collins said: "I haven't had one discussion with anybody. I don't know where Matt stands. The discussions, however preliminary, carried additional weight Monday because the Giants" Bruce Bochy will manage the N.L. team. Bochy revealed that he was already leaning toward a particular pitcher to start the game, but that he was not at liberty to share his thinking. Regarding Harvey, he said: "This kid's had a special year. I know he's from New York. All that's been discussed. But I'll just leave it at that right now. While these hypotheticals were being discussed, Niese was on his way to the Mets" complex in Port St. Lucie, Fla., to begin a throwing program - a pleasant surprise in what once seemed a far gloomier situation. Last month, Niese was told he had a partial tear in his rotator cuff. He received a follow-up magnetic resonance imaging test Monday that revealed a less dire prognosis, according to John Ricco, the team's assistant general manager. The first test showed inflammation and fluid buildup that the doctor believed indicated a tear in the tendon, Ricco said. The second scan, which was easier to read because the inflammation and fluid had subsided, showed something more akin to the "normal wear and tear" any pitcher might have, he said. "The other part of it is Jon is asymptomatic on all of his tests, so he's feeling great and looking forward to getting going again," Ricco said. The Mets had less to share about Marcum, who saw a specialist in St. Louis to address the tingling in his hand that he felt during his last start and on and off earlier this season. Ricco said the team would be able to share more details about the diagnosis Tuesday, but a stint on the disabled list seemed a possibility, as the right-hander Gonzalez Germen was summoned from Class AAA to join the Mets in San Francisco. Germen, however, has not been officially added to the roster. At the very least, Marcum will not make another start before the All-Star break. His removal from the rotation allowed Harvey to be moved up to Saturday, a game that may be closely watched by Mets fans curious and concerned about the ace. As the ordeals of Niese and Marcum reiterated, a pitcher's health can be a delicate thing. David Wright, the N.L. captain this year for the Home Run Derby, selected Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals and Carlos Gonzalez and Michael Cuddyer of the Colorado Rockies to complete his team for the July 15 competition. Wright said Monday that he picked Harper because he won baseball's fan poll and Gonzalez because he was the home run leader when his selection was due. He joked that Cuddyer, a close friend from the same hometown, was his "Ryder Cup captain's pick."