The New York Mets on Wednesday told reporters that right-hander Max Scherzer is going on the 15-day injured list. Scherzer exited his last start Saturday with what was described as fatigue in his left side. Earlier this season, Scherzer missed almost two months because of an oblique strain in that same left side. This time, though, the club believes that Scherzer will be able to rejoin the rotation after the minimum stay on the IL. David Peterson or Trevor Williams seems likely to take Scherzer's turns while he's sidelined.
Scherzer, 38, has excelled in his first season in Queens. In 127 2/3 innings across 20 starts, he has pitched to a 2.26 ERA/173 ERA+ with 153 strikeouts against 23 walks. He has also registered a quality start in 70 percent of his trips to the mound this season.
The loss of Scherzer comes as the Mets have seen their once sturdy lead in the National League East evaporate. The Mets and hard-charging Atlanta Braves enter Wednesday's slate tied atop the standings. While the Mets at this writing have dropped three straight, the lost lead is mostly the result of the Braves' exceptional play:
Since June 1, the Mets are 17 games over .500, have the 4th best record in the NL, and have lost 10.5 games in the standings to the Braves.
— Joel Luckhaupt (@jluckhaupt) September 7, 2022
The two teams will play their final head-to-head series of the regular season starting Sept. 30 in Atlanta.
