Slowly but surely, Mets reinforcements continue to work their way back toward the big club as starters Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, and catcher James McCann were seen back with the ball club at Citi Field prior to the team’s series opener on Tuesday against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Scherzer (strained left oblique) and deGrom (stress reaction in right scapula) are “coming along well,” according to the Mets, though Scherzer appears to be closer to returning than his fellow ace.
Scherzer will throw a simulated game on Thursday and the team will provide another update following that. Meanwhile, deGrom is continuing his mound progressions, but there was no indication of when he will take the next step in his process.
Both star hurlers threw at Citi Field on Tuesday, deGrom tossing a 30-pitch bullpen session, according to a report from MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo.
Despite not having Scherzer since mid-May and deGrom at all this season, New York continues to stay afloat with a makeshift pitching staff that has received commendable efforts from the likes of Tylor Megill, David Peterson, and Trevor Williams.
Behind the dish, James McCann (wrist surgery) is nearing a rehab assignment, the Mets added. He was also seen at Citi Field getting in pregame work on Tuesday afternoon.
While his absence hasn’t necessarily been felt as dramatically as deGrom’s and Scherzer’s, McCann’s ability to control the pitching staff and call a game is a noticeable absence — most notably in Chris Bassitt’s recent performances. Entering his start on Tuesday night, he had a 7.62 ERA in his previous five starts working with Tomas Nido and Patrick Mazeika.
Despite promising updates, the team continued to not put a timetable on the returns of any of the three rehabbing players.
“I ask those questions about the best-case scenario and the worst-case scenario [too],” Mets manager Buck Showalter said. “I’ve looked at the possibilities of when they might show up but I’m not married to it.”
