NEW YORK -- In a devastating blow to the New York Mets, right-hander Matt Harvey has been diagnosed with a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow, the team announced Monday.

Harvey is unlikely to pitch again this season, general manager Sandy Alderson said. Tommy John surgery may be required, although a decision will wait two to three weeks, until swelling subsides and a clearer assessment of the extent of the tear can be determined.

Harvey expressed hope he could avoid surgery by strengthening the area around the ligament tear, although Alderson noted pitching through partial tears often is unsuccessful and suggested the procedure ultimately might be required anyway.

Tommy John surgery generally requires a 12-month recovery time and would cost Harvey most if not all of the 2014 season.

Harvey was sent Monday morning to the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan after complaining of forearm discomfort following a 102-pitch start Saturday against the Detroit Tigers. As part of that exam, Dr. David Altchek had Harvey undergo an MRI that revealed the UCL tear.

"Doctors will always tell you that if you could avoid surgery you should," Alderson said. "However, we have had situations in the past -- not just here, but across baseball -- where the conservative approach doesn't work, and what you end up with is a loss of time and therefore a delay in recovery. That all has to be taken into account. We're all aware of what [a] delay might cause, and so we will be monitoring the situation. And I'm sure Matt will be making a decision in conjunction with us that takes that into account."

Said Harvey: "I'm going to do everything I can so I don't have to get surgery."

Agent Scott Boras noted the need for surgery will not be clear until the extent of the tear becomes fully apparent on follow-up imaging once the swelling subsides.

"When you're talking about the term 'partial tear,' you're talking about 5 percent to 95 percent," Boras said. "You have to get in and get the specifics and get more information medically before we can really make a determination as to what we're dealing with. There's a lot of swelling in there now. ... I've had situations with no surgery. I've had situations where the doctors recommended surgery."

Matt Harvey has a partially torn UCL in his right elbow and likely won't pitch again this season. Noah K. Murray/USA TODAY Sports

Harvey said he had been experiencing forearm tenderness for a month or two but had been getting treatment and did not believe any major issue existed.

"Obviously it was the last thing I was expecting when I went in this morning," Harvey said, referring to the medical exam. "I haven't had shooting pains down my hand or in my elbow at all. It's mostly been forearm tightness. It's something, obviously, I could pitch through. It just so happens this last start was a little bit more uncomfortable than normal, and I decided it was in my best interest to get it checked out. I was hoping for ... tenderness or just some stiffness and swelling of the muscle area, and it obviously turned out to be something else. That was definitely a shock."

Harvey is 9-5 this season with a 2.27 ERA and 191 strikeouts. He ranks second in the majors in ERA, third in WHIP and fourth in strikeouts. He started July's All-Star Game at Citi Field.

Right-hander Carlos Torres will enter the rotation in Harvey's spot.