New York Mets’ ace Max Scherzer may be able to beat Jacob deGrom to Queens after all. The veteran right-hander just rejoined the Mets in New York after rehabbing in Florida for the last few weeks.
As SNY noted, Scherzer’s wife Erika posted a picture on Instagram on Monday with the pitcher and their three children on a plane en route to the Big Apple.
Scherzer suffered a high-grade internal oblique strain and was placed on the 15-day injured list on May 21, retroactive to May 19. He has been throwing bullpen sessions, and as Mets’ manager Buck Showalter told the media a few days ago, he is close to throwing live batting practice.
“He’s doing great,” Showalter said. “I’m not going to get into ‘ahead, behind schedule’ but he’s where he needs to be. He’s in the competitive mix in the future. Obviously that goes without saying, but the thing with Max is you’ve just got to try to slow him down sometimes. But he’s feeling good.”
The Mets’ star may be able to return in a couple of weeks
Scherzer is closing in on the four-week mark on his recovery. He was initially given a six-to-eight week timetable, so he may be able to return closer to the six-week mark.
He was having an excellent season for the Mets when he got hurt, with a 2.54 ERA in 49.2 innings. He is 5-1 with 59 strikeouts and a 0.95 WHIP.
Fellow Mets’ ace deGrom could also be nearing a rehab assignment, and he has also thrown multiple bullpen sessions, too. He is recovering from a stress reaction on his right scapula, and has a similar timeline than that of Scherzer.
If the Mets are able to have both pitchers healthy at the same time for the stretch run and the playoffs, they will be very, very hard to beat.