Veteran starting pitcher Max Scherzer appears to be mostly set to make his New York Mets debut on Friday in their second game of the year against his old club, the Washington Nationals.
After a successful bullpen session on Tuesday morning, Scherzer spoke with reporters and expressed optimism that he would be good to go to make his Mets debut on Friday.
However, Mad Max isn’t out of the woods just yet.
Though it appears as though all the major tests have been passed, there is one more awaiting Scherzer which will take place on Thursday at Nationals Park, and that is a fielding test.
If he passes that, he’ll be all set to go on Friday.
Max Scherzer says he probably will pitch Friday. He still has to pass a fielding test on Thursday.
— Tim Healey (@timbhealey) April 5, 2022
One More Test
This is good news for the Mets, especially after the team lost Jacob deGrom due to a stress reaction in his right shoulder, which will keep the Mets’ ace out for some time.
But with Scherzer presumably healthy, the Mets still have a solid rotation that also features the newly acquired Chris Bassitt, Taijuan Walker, and Carlos Carrasco.
The fielding test will be vital in determining Scherzer’s availability for Friday’s potential start.
Again, if he manages to pass, he’ll be ready to go for Friday’s game.
Scherzer signed with the Mets on a three-year, $130 million contract this offseason and looked ready to form a solid one-two punch at the top of the rotation with deGrom.
But with deGrom out, Scherzer will likely be filling a role he is well accustomed to filling, that of an ace.
We’ll see if he passes the fielding test and ends up being good to go for Friday like he is expecting.
