Mets Place Max Scherzer on 15-Day IL Amid Tight NL East Division Race
The New York Mets’ chances of fending off the red-hot Atlanta Braves for top spot in the NL East just suffered a massive blow.
Ahead of the team’s doubleheader at PNC Park versus the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday, right-hander Max Scherzer was placed on the 15-day injured list with oblique irritation, retroactive to Sep. 4. It’s the same muscle he injured earlier this season, which sidelined him for almost two months.
In corresponding moves, the Mets selected left-hander Alex Claudio from triple-A Syracuse and also recalled right-hander Yoan López to serve as their 29th player for the doubleheader. Right-hander Adonis Medina was designated for assignment to create roster space.
Scherzer left his previous outing on Sep. 3 after five innings, reporting “fatigue” in his left side. Before departing, the 38-year-old allowed one run on three hits and one walk while striking out five batters – a game New York lost 7-1 to Washington.
Manager Buck Showalter is hopeful that his eight-time All-Star will only miss the minimum of 15 days, charting his potential return for Sep. 19. In the meantime, Showalter will attempt to fill the massive void left by the three-time Cy Young winner.
When healthy, Scherzer has been phenomenal during his inaugural campaign in Queens. The veteran righty has posted a 2.26 ERA, 2.92 xERA, 2.53 FIP and a 26.0 percent strikeout-to-walk percentage difference across 127.2 innings in 20 starts.
Additionally, the Mets hurler has been worth 4.1 fWAR – highest among qualified starters (min. 100 innings).
New York, who signed Scherzer to a lucrative three-year, $130-million contract last winter, is likely to turn to David Peterson or Trevor Williams to fill in as his injury replacement. Both pitchers are stretched out and have started previously this season.
Peterson – a 20th overall selection by the Mets in 2017 – has made 17 starts and four relief appearances during this third big-league season. The 26-year-old carries a 3.32 ERA, a 3.92 xERA and a 3.54 FIP through 95.0 innings.
Williams, meanwhile, has made nine starts and 15 relief appearances, logging 74.0 innings. The 30-year-old owns a 2.92 ERA, a 3.81 xERA and a 4.07 FIP in his first full season with the Mets.
Whoever fills Scherzer’s spot, they’ll join a starting rotation that features Jacob deGrom, Carlos Carrasco, Chris Bassitt and Taijuan Walker. It’s a talented group that should remain effective until the future Hall-of-Fame pitcher returns.
In saying that, it’ll likely be much tougher to keep pace with the surging Braves, who entered Wednesday tied for first place in the division, without Scherzer. The Mets play the Miami Marlins, Chicago Cubs and Pirates over their next three series, though, which should help.
Still, this divisional race between New York and Atlanta could be determined by a final showdown at Truist Park, beginning on Sep. 30. That’ll undoubtedly serve as the most pivotal point of the season for both franchises.
With that in mind, it’ll be crucial to have Scherzer return long before the final week of the regular season.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85
Photo: slgckgc. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.