Max Scherzer headed to MRI after early discharge

11:40 am: Scherzer already had a tilt injury, Tweets John Heyman of the New York Post. The severity of the injury is not yet known, although as Heymann points out, even first-class oblique strains can sideline players for well over a month. Of course, every injury is different, and there are certainly cases of players returning much sooner than that. The Mets number has an official announcement of Scherzer status sometime today.

08:00: Meets Ice Max Scherzer He pulled himself out of last night’s game in the middle of the sixth inning in the match against Albert Pujols (video link). After throwing the 2-2 slider at the Pujols, Scherzer immediately signaled to the dugout that it was over, called a coach and immediately quit the game. The Mets announced that Scherzer was dealing with discomfort in his left side, and Scherzer told reporters after the contest that he felt tightness in his side all day and felt “zing” during the Pujols at-bat (video link). “I just knew I was done,” Scherzer said. The three-time winner of Cy Young added that he didn’t think the injury was “too much stress”.

That will be decided this morning, it seems, as MLB.com’s Anthony Dicomo writes Scherzer is heading for an MRI to determine the extent of the injury. While Scherzer himself has downplayed the potential severity, it is clearly of concern that he has pulled himself out of the game and is now undergoing a round of filming to determine if a trip to the casualty list would be necessary.

The 37-year-old right-hand man signed a record three-year $130 million contract with the Mets over the winter, making him the highest-paid player (on an annual basis) in major league history. So far, Scherzer has been the assistant the Mets were hoping for when this deal was struck, moving 49 2/3 innings of 2.54 ERAs with a 30.6% strike rate versus a 5.7% walk rate. He was a major reason for the Mets to turn around, even without him Jacob Degrom, ranks fifth in majors in ERA and second in FIP. Scherzer and his cohorts also combined for the seventh highest strike rate and lowest walk rate of any junior team in the major leagues.

At present, the Mets are the only team in the NL East to have a win record, and at 25-14 are a healthy six-game lead over second-placed Phillies. However, even Scherzer’s brief absence, putting him on the shelf alongside DeGrom and righty Taylor Miguel (biceps muscle inflammation), it would be a noticeable hit. The Mets have a deep crew that can beat this trio of short-term spinning injuries, with the left. David Peterson He assumes he’ll be the next guy in line if Scherzer really wastes time. However, losing the $76.83 million DeGrom/Scherzer punch to the injured list before the pair is healthy enough to take the heap on consecutive days is not a scenario the Mets are hoping to contend with.

The Mets announced earlier this week that an MRI on DeGrom, who has yet to resort in 2022 due to a stress reaction in his right shoulder, Show “continued healing”. He’s working through a throwing program and is currently building up his throwing distance and intensity level, but there’s no clear timetable for him to get back on the pile and embark on a minor league rehab job. If Scherzer joins DeGrom and Megill on IL, the Mets turnover will likely consist of Chris BassettAnd Carlos CarrascoAnd Taiguan WalkerAnd Trevor Williams Peterson mentioned above.