PITTSBURGH – The New York Mets placed pitcher Max Scherzer on the 15-day injured list on Wednesday with what the club described as “left oblique irritation.”
The move is retroactive to Sept. 4, the day after Scherzer left his start against Washington following five innings with discomfort in his left side. The 38-year-old missed nearly two months earlier in the season with a left oblique strain. Scherzer said this injury is different and not as severe.
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“This is days, not weeks, that’s the first and foremost thing,” Scherzer said Wednesday before New York's split doubleheader against Pittsburgh.
Mets manager Buck Showalter expects Scherzer to miss at least one start and possibly two to make sure the issue is fully resolved before the postseason begins. Scherzer was supposed to start Friday's game in Miami. There is no immediate word on who will start in Scherzer's place.
The Mets entered Wednesday riding a three-game losing streak that dropped them into a tie with surging Atlanta atop the NL East with four weeks left in the season.
Scherzer is 9-4 with a 2.26 ERA in 20 starts this season for New York. He described feeling fatigued in his left side near the end of his start against Washington, when he allowed one run in five innings before exiting. The three-time Cy Young winner said he has “no regrets” about staying in to pitch.
Scherzer described his symptoms as a general feeling of achiness rather than one specific spot that hurts, which is what he experienced in the oblique earlier in the year.
Showalter said test results showed “pretty good news, all things considered,” because they indicated the issue is relatively minor.
“I think the idea is to get it resolved so that he can finish the season strong and be ready for whatever the season holds for us,” Showalter said.
New York recalled left-handed reliever Alex Claudio from Triple-A Syracuse to take Scherzer's roster spot. The team also recalled right-handed reliever Yoan López to serve as the 29th man for Wednesday's doubleheader.
To make room for López, the Mets designated right-handed reliever Adonis Medina for assignment.
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