Inside The Mets

New York Mets ace Max Scherzer's Start Pushed Back

Mets ace Max Scherzer is having his start pushed back by three days due to lingering soreness.

Pat Ragazzo

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He will not pitch on Sunday.

While the initial plan was for Max Scherzer to start on Sunday against the Oakland Athletics, he will be pushed back to Wednesday due to lingering soreness in his back and side, as manager Buck Showalter told reporters.

“We were going to insert a starter anyway so we thought we’d get it out of the way now,” Showalter said. “He’ll be fine. He’ll be ready to go Wednesday. He could pitch tomorrow but since we were going to insert a guy anyways, might as well do it there.”

Pitching prospect Jose Butto will start in Scherzer's place as the Mets go for the three-game sweep of the A's.

“I know exactly what this is. It just needs some time,” Scherzer told reporters Saturday. “It was similar to what I was dealing with in 2019. I respect it, know what it is. I know if you just give it a little rest it goes away.”

According to Scherzer, the soreness is south of his scapula/shoulder blade and is not in the oblique area. Scherzer missed seven weeks last season with an oblique strain.

“I’m trending in the right direction, it's just not fully gone. Why introduce risk? if we know we have an open spot, then it’s selfish for me to try and pitch around this when you have that on the table.”

Scherzer is 2-1 with a 4.41 ERA this season. He's coming off an outing, in which he threw five shutout innings against the San Diego Padres.

If Scherzer remains on track, he will start against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday.

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Pat Ragazzo
PAT RAGAZZO

Pat Ragazzo is the reporter, publisher, site manager and executive editor for Sports Illustrated's Mets and Yankees On SI websites. Pat was selected as The Top Reporter & Publisher of the Year 2024 by the International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP) for outstanding leadership, dedication, and commitment to the industry. He has been seen on several major TV Network stations including: NBC4, CBS2, FOX5, PIX11 and NY1; and is frequently heard on ESPN New York FM 880 AM and WFAN Sports Radio 101.9 FM as a guest. Pat also serves as the Mets insider for the "Allow Me 2 Be Frank" podcast hosted by Frank "The Tank" Fleming of Barstool Sports. You can follow him on Twitter/X: @ragazzoreport.

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