PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- New York Mets ace Matt Harvey's first season back from Tommy John surgery will not include an ultrarestrictive innings cap, general manager Sandy Alderson said Friday.

Mets GM Sandy Alderson said ace Matt Harvey won't be subject to a strict innings cap this year after coming off Tommy John surgery. Adam Rubin/ESPN.com

Alderson said Harvey will have no "extra special precautions" during spring training and should face batters within a few days of any other Mets starting pitcher in camp.

Harvey underwent Tommy John surgery on Oct. 22, 2013, so he is 16 months removed from the procedure -- a longer period than many pitchers take before returning to game action.

Mets pitchers and catchers have their first official workout Saturday.

"I don't expect this is going to appear to be a highly constrained workload for him over the course of a season," Alderson said.

Alderson said the Mets have an idea of a prudent innings cap for Harvey based on conversations with medical personnel, Harvey's agent Scott Boras and Harvey himself. Still, team officials do not want to publicly disclose a number and then have it become a headline for the next 10 months. The GM added that there is some flexibility based on how Harvey performs.

Alderson nonetheless reiterated a past pledge that Harvey would pitch in the postseason if the Mets are involved. The GM does not expect Harvey will be allowed to pitch 215 to 225 innings, but 200 innings including the postseason is plausible, Alderson added.

"Including playoffs?" Alderson said. "Yeah."

Harvey went 9-5 with a 2.27 ERA and started the All-Star Game at Citi Field in 2013 before getting shut down in mid-August of that season with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow.

The Mets plan to curtail Harvey's innings during the upcoming regular season by a variety of means that potentially include:

• Delaying the start of his season a week until the home opener.

• An expanded All-Star break.

• Skipping starts by using a spot starter.

• Using off days to delay starts a partial turn of the rotation.

The Mets also could pull Harvey from a game after five innings if they are holding, say, a four-run lead.

Alderson added that the return of Harvey gives the Mets a psychological boost as well as a better rotation.

"It just changes the whole tenor of things," Alderson said. "That's the sizzle side. But he's going to have to go out and perform. Do we expect him to be as outstanding as he was for half a season a couple of years ago? That's a high expectation. But I think he has that expectation of himself."