Photo by Ed Delany of MMO
Max Scherzer was scratched from Saturday’s intrasquad start. Tim Britton of The Athletic and others were on the news.
On Friday, Mike Puma of the New York Post reported that Scherzer was dealing with a minor hamstring issue, but that he was still expected to pitch in the Mets’ simulated game Saturday at 10:30 a.m. The Mets also received tough news about their other ace, Jacob deGrom, on Friday, learning that he will miss at least the next four weeks.
Scherzer was scratched just for “precautionary” reasons, Jon Heyman of MLB Network added. He also added that it’s seen as possible for Scherzer to pitch opening day, when the Mets take on Scherzer’s former team in the Nationals.
The Mets are expected to provide an update later on why Scherzer was scratched, though again, Heyman said it was just for precautionary reasons.
Mets fans certainly have to be hoping it’s only precautionary, as losing both of the team’s aces would be a brutal blow. There’s still a scenario where the Mets are dominant this year; deGrom is expected to be back by June, so in a perfect world, he’ll come back and dominate alongside Scherzer, with Chris Bassitt being a strong No. 3 starter. Even in the short term without deGrom, the Mets still hope to have Scherzer lead the rotation with David Peterson or Tylor Megill stepping into the No. 5 slot.
Scherzer is 37 years old, which should be taken into account when it comes to any potential injuries. He’s been durable in his career though, making 30 starts last year between the Nationals and Dodgers. He made 27 starts in 2019, and more than 30 in each of the previous 10 seasons.
There’s nothing yet to suggest that this is anything serious. Stay tuned to Metsmerized for any further updates the Mets provide.
