New York Mets ace Max Scherzer could take the mound in the big leagues as soon as Sunday down in Miami against the Marlins, according to a report from Jon Heyman.
Of course, this is contingent on how his rehab start, scheduled for Tuesday for the Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies, goes as he works his way back from a strained left oblique suffered on May 18.
Scherzer pitched a three-inning, 50-pitch simulated game on Thursday and said that everything went well — opening the door for the next big step which is his rehab start. He’ll be working with catcher James McCann in Binghamton, who is rehabbing from wrist surgery.
In an ideal world for the Mets, Scherzer will need just the one rehab start that he’s been hoping for all this time. However, the intricacies that come with an oblique injury will always provide just a bit of hesitation.
“It’s too hard to speculate because you hit the next level, you might stress it too much,” he said on Thursday. “You don’t want to start thinking farther ahead than what you can. This is a tricky injury. I’d love to tell you I can do one rehab start and I’ll feel great and come back. I’d love to do that.
“Is it possible? Yes. But the reality is I could very easily have a rehab start, have it be tight, and when I actually do it again before I’m in a big-league game. Very aware of working back through this injury and really focused on not having a setback.”
If Scherzer can get back to the Mets after his one rehab start, it would be earlier than the originally perceived six-to-eight-week timeline prescribed to him after suffering the injury. Saturday marked the one-month point of his absence.
His return wouldn’t come a moment too soon, either. While Jacob deGrom still continues working his way back from a stress reaction in his right scapula, the Mets also lost Tylor Megill for four weeks after suffering a right shoulder strain on Thursday against the Milwaukee Brewers.
