PITTSBURGH — Max Scherzer’s “achy” left side will cost him at least two starts for the Mets.
The veteran right-hander was placed on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with left oblique irritation, retroactive to Sept. 4. Scherzer departed his Saturday start against the Nationals after five innings with what he termed as fatigue in his left side.
David Peterson or Trevor Williams will start Friday in Miami in Scherzer’s place. Scherzer underwent an MRI exam on Tuesday that he says revealed the inflammation on his left side.
Scherzer had a left oblique strain earlier this season that cost him nearly seven weeks, but he said this injury is nowhere close in severity.
Max Scherzer Getty Images“This is days, not weeks,” Scherzer said before the Mets faced the Pirates in a split doubleheader at PNC Park. “This is not a significant injury.”
In 20 starts this season Scherzer is 9-4 with a 2.26 ERA in 127 ²/₃ innings pitched. His absence will be most felt for the potential extra strain it will create on a bullpen that has already been stretched thin.
In the big picture, the Mets want Scherzer healthy for October. The Mets began the day tied with Atlanta for the NL East lead but are in comfortable position for a postseason berth.
Max Scherzer in the Mets dugout on Sept. 4, 2022. Robert Sabo/NY Post“Honestly, it just feels achy,” Scherzer said. “That is the way I described it, just that my left side feels achy. It’s not a strain. I don’t have one specific spot I can point to where, ‘that hurts.’ It’s just general fatigue on the whole left side.
“The first time when I did this I had one specific spot. That’s not what this is, and so that is the good in this. I have communicated my symptoms, and we kind of had conflicting symptoms throughout the game, I felt fatigued. I was throwing the ball well, and I have no regrets on how I handled the situation.”
Scherzer said he fully expects to return from the IL when eligible and doesn’t anticipate he will need a buildup with a simulated game or minor league appearance.
“I have got to deal with what I have got,” Scherzer said. “I had a little hiccup and try to work around it. I didn’t let it become something big, it just became a bigger hiccup.”
