It’s safe to say that the 2023 MLB season hasn’t gone like New York Mets star Max Scherzer planned.
In mid-April, he dealt with discomfort in his right scapula near his shoulder blade.
Then, he was in the middle of a controversy regarding his use of rosin, which resulted in a 10-game suspension according to MLB’s foreign-substances policy.
His performance has been spotty, at best, as he has a 5.56 ERA in 22.2 frames in 2023.
Now, another injury is causing him to miss time.
“RHP Max Scherzer has been scratched from tonight’s game due to neck spasms. LHP David Peterson has been recalled from Triple-A Syracuse and will start tonight’s game. RHP Jimmy Yacabonis has been placed on the 15-Day IL, retroactive to May 8, with a left quad strain,” the Mets informed fans via Twitter.
RHP Max Scherzer has been scratched from tonight’s game due to neck spasms.
LHP David Peterson has been recalled from Triple-A Syracuse and will start tonight’s game.
RHP Jimmy Yacabonis has been placed on the 15-Day IL, retroactive to May 8, with a left quad strain.
— New York Mets (@Mets) May 9, 2023
It’s unclear if the neck spasms are related to the shoulder issue, but Scherzer, who was going to take the mound on Tuesday, won’t be pitching for the foreseeable future.
It has been a nightmarish start of the year for the 38-year-old veteran.
He was also affected by injuries last year, most notably an oblique issue that required two separate stints on the injured list.
The Mets can’t really afford him to miss an extended period of time, but no one can do anything about it.
At least the Mets have recovered fellow ace Justin Verlander recently, as he also had some shoulder issues that popped up near the end of spring training.
The Mets are 17-18, seven games behind the Atlanta Braves in the NL East.
They need Scherzer back relatively soon if they don’t want to keep losing ground to the Braves.
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