Max Scherzer is headed to the injured list due to the left side issue that caused him to leave his last start on Saturday after just five innings and 67 pitches.
Imaging showed “some irritation” in Scherzer’s left side, not as bad as the issue that put him on the IL earlier this season, but enough for the team to be concerned and use the IL.
"Honestly, it just feels achy; it's not a strain, one specific spot to point to where it hurts, it's just general fatigue," Scherzer said in the clubhouse prior to Wednesday's doubleheader in Pittsburgh. "The first time I did this, I had one specific spot, and that's not what this is, so that's the good news."
“It was actually pretty good news, all things considered, that there wasn’t something torn or where he had it last time,” manager Buck Showalter said prior to Wednesday’s doubleheader in Pittsburgh. “We think it’s best to get that completely healed again, get it resolved so he can finish the season strong and be ready for whatever the postseason holds for us.”
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Scherzer’s IL stint will be backdated to Sunday, Sept. 4, and the Mets expect him to be able to return as soon as his 15 days are up.
“We’ll backdate it and get those days just to be on the safe side; he’s going to miss a start, maybe two, but we want it to completely heal,” Showalter said.
"This is days not weeks, it's not a significant injury," Scherzer said. "I'm going to miss one start because of the irritation, we knew that, and the team has to do what they have to do for roster moves."
The Mets do have a doubleheader Wednesday, but with a day off Thursday, their rotation will not need another extra body. David Peterson, who threw 5 1/3 innings last Friday against the Nationals and remained on the MLB roster even after Carlos Carrasco came back from the IL last Sunday, will likely slot in for Scherzer, whose next start was set for Friday.
Scherzer has "no regrets" on how he handled his situation in that last start, feeling he was still "throwing the ball well" and "went as long as I could." If he can return when his 15 days are up, he'll miss just those two starts; after Thursday's day off, the Mets begin a span of 13 days in a row on Friday, carrying through Sept. 21, and then have three days off over the final two weeks of the season.
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