Mets’ Max Scherzer dealing with soreness, next start pushed back to Wednesday
The Mets will look to sweep their three-game series against the Oakland Athletics on Sunday, but they’ll have to try without their ace on the mound.
After Saturday’s 3-2 win, Mets manager Buck Showalter informed the media that Max Scherzer will miss his next scheduled start due to “lingering soreness” he experienced after his last outing.
“We were going to insert a starter anyway so we thought we’d get it out of the way now,” Showalter said. “He’ll be fine. He’ll be ready to go Wednesday. He could pitch tomorrow but since we were going to insert a guy anyways, might as well do it there.”
Prior to Saturday’s game, the Mets brought up Jose Butto and Jimmy Yacabonis from Triple-A. One was to replace RHP Stephen Nogosek who went on the IL due to a bone bruise in his throwing elbow, and the other was to fill Dennis Santana’s spot after he was DFA’d.
Butto will start Sunday in Scherzer’s stead.
“I know exactly what this is. It just needs some time,” Scherzer told reporters Saturday. “It was similar to what I was dealing with in 2019. I respect it, know what it is. I know if you just give it a little rest it goes away.”
Scherzer says the soreness is “south” of the scapula or shoulder blade, and not the oblique that kept him out of the rotation last season.
Scherzer added, “I’m trending in the right direction, it's just not fully gone. Why introduce risk? if we know we have an open spot, then it’s selfish for me to try and pitch around this when you have that on the table.”
In three starts this season, Scherzer is 2-1 with a 4.41 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 16.1 innings pitched.
If he remains on track for Wednesday, Scherzer’s next start will be against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
