Mets' Max Scherzer's Status For Opening Day In Doubt
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When it rains it pours.
A day after it was revealed that Mets ace Jacob deGrom has a stress reaction on his right scapula and will be out for a significant period of time, co-ace Max Scherzer was scratched from his final start of the spring on Saturday with a right hamstring issue.
Scherzer told reporters afterwards that he initially felt his hamstring tighten up on Thursday, but still believed he would be ready to pitch two days later in a simulated-game. However, after warming up on Saturday morning the hamstring began to feel tight again and he instead decided to not risk worsening the injury.
In a perfect world, Scherzer would replace deGrom as the Mets' Opening Day starter on April 7 in D.C. But the 37-year-old, who didn't sound overly concerned about his hamstring issue, wouldn't commit to being able to take the mound five days from now.
Manager Buck Showalter has not yet ruled out Scherzer's availability for the regular-season opener. And the skipper even indicated that Scherzer might be able to make this start, without throwing in another exhibition game. Scherzer was stretched out to six innings on 89 pitches on March 27 in a Grapefruit League outing.
But other sources have shared a more pessimistic outlook on the situation and believe Scherzer's status for Opening Day is very much in doubt at this point.
The Mets intend to keep the rest of their staff on schedule, whether Scherzer is available or not. Chris Bassitt will make his final spring start on Sunday, which means he will not be able to pitch any earlier than Friday, the second game of the regular-season.
Carlos Carrasco and Taijuan Walker will pitch behind Bassitt in the rotation, while Tylor Megill, David Peterson and Trevor Williams are among the candidates that could potentially take deGrom's spot.
Scherzer is currently day-to-day with a hamstring injury, which he described as a "hiccup." According to the three-time Cy Young Award winner, who the Mets signed to a three-year, $130 million deal in November, he has dealt with these types of minor hamstring injuries in the past and they usually resolve themselves in a matter of days. He does not expect this to be a long-term issue.
“I’ve had kind of these little hamstring injuries before and they go away in days,” Scherzer said. “I am fortunate enough, I have been pretty good to not have serious hamstring injuries, I have just had little hiccups and I think this is the same thing.
“I think this is a little hiccup. I just have to address it, so I am working with the training staff to identify what is causing it because it’s frustrating, because I have really worked hard this offseason to really lift my legs heavy, do all the running."
Per Showalter, the Mets could potentially go with a bullpen game, among other options, if Scherzer can't take the ball. The Mets already suffered a crushing blow by losing deGrom indefinitely, now they will hope that Scherzer's hamstring heals up fast so that he can pitch against the Nationals when the regular-season begins in less than a week.
