Max Scherzer‘s hamstring injury put his status for Opening Day in question, which was bad news for the New York Mets, who had already lost their ace Jacob deGrom for a significant amount of time with a stress reaction in his right shoulder.
Scherzer was scheduled to throw a bullpen session today which would determine his availability for Opening Day.
Mets MLB.com reporter Anthony DiComo shared some positive news regarding Scherzer and his bullpen session.
It appears that the session went as planned, with Scherzer telling reporters that he is likely scheduled to pitch the second game of the regular season on Friday against the Washington Nationals.
NEWS: Max Scherzer says he's most likely pitching Game 2 of the season on Friday.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) April 5, 2022
Mad Max Good To Go
This is good news for the Mets.
Losing deGrom was a huge blow to their rotation, but it appears that Scherzer is all set for Opening Day.
This means that Chris Bassitt will likely draw the start in the opener on Thursday.
Though deGrom is out, the Mets’ rotation is still solid, consisting of Scherzer, Bassitt, Carlos Carrasco, and Taijuan Walker.
It’s also worth noting that Scherzer will be facing the Nationals for the first time since he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday and will be making his return to Nationals Park for the first time as an opposing pitcher, assuming he’ll make the start
Scherzer was signed by the Nationals on a seven-year deal prior to the start of the 2015 season and played a key role in their championship run in 2019.
He joined the Mets this offseason on a three-year, $130 million contract.
Of course, nothing is set in stone yet, but if Scherzer is able to make the start, the Mets should have an advantage this weekend over the Nationals.
NEXT: Carlos Carrasco Getting Back To His Old Self On The Mound