Nationals ace Max Scherzer breaks nose with batting practice bunt, plans to make regularly scheduled start

Scherzer is set to return to the mound one day after the incident

Nationals ace Max Scherzer inadvertently struck himself in the face with a batted ball while practicing bunting during batting practice on Tuesday night at Nationals Park. The incident resulted in a broken nose for Scherzer, the Nationals announced.

Here's a look at what happened: 

WATCH - Max Scherzer, who's scheduled to start Wednesday, was hit in the face by a ball during batting practice.

Details: https://t.co/sNoPv3co00 pic.twitter.com/27FonlyC33

— Nationals on MASN (@masnNationals) June 18, 2019

The incident is not going to cause Scherzer to miss his next start, however. According to MLB.com's Jamal Collier, Scherzer told manager Dave Martinez that he will be ready to make his regularly scheduled start on Wednesday night in the second game of a doubleheader against the Phillies. He just might want to be a little more careful during BP.

Nationals expect Max Scherzer to pitch tonight. He told Dave Martinez last night that he was good to go and he is expected to go through his usual routine later today when he arrives at Nats Park

— Jamal Collier (@JamalCollier) June 19, 2019

Scherzer, 34, has pitched to a 2.81 ERA and MLB-leading 2.27 FIP this season with an NL-leading 136 strikeouts in 99 1/3 innings. Despite Scherzer's typically outstanding numbers, the Nationals are just 5-10 in his starts this season.

Scherzer's ongoing excellence in tandem with the Nationals' struggles has led to some trade speculation regarding the three-time Cy Young winner. Expect such speculation to continue once Scherzer returns to the mound.