Zachary Engberg
2 min read • September 09, 2022
Posted in
The Mets placed starting pitcher Max Scherzer on the IL with oblique irritation and may be without centerfielder Starling Marte for some time after he suffered a finger fracture.
The injuries come at a pivotal point in the season for New York, who is now only 0.5 games ahead of the Braves and fell behind them briefly after leading the division for 146 straight days since mid-April.
Scherzer left his last start on Saturday after the 5th inning with what the Mets initially termed left side fatigue and is expected to miss two starts after going to the 15-day IL on Wednesday.
The 38-year-old missed seven weeks after suffering a moderate left oblique strain on May 18 and the Mets will more-than-likely be cautious with their right-hander to ensure he's healthy for the postseason.
Scherzer, who will be eligible to return on Sept. 18, stressed that the injury wasn't a strain and that it will leave him out a matter of days, not weeks.
The rest of the Mets' pitching staff is as healthy and effective as it's been all season: Jacob deGrom is 5-1 with a 1.66 ERA and five quality starts in seven games while right-handers Carlos Carrasco and Chris Bassit each have an ERA of 2.70 or lower and have made nine combined quality starts since the all-star break.
Marte, the Mets' second-biggest free agent acquisition this offseason, suffered a non-displaced fracture in his right middle finger when he was hit by a 96 mph fastball on Tuesday night.
Initial x-rays were negative but a CT scan found the fracture, which the team is reportedly hoping Marte will be able to play through.
Starting shortstop Francisco Lindor has been playing with a tuft fracture in his right middle finger since closing a hotel door on his hand in early June and was never placed on the IL.
Marte, 32, has a .292 average and .814 OPS in 466 at-bats and is top-3 on the Mets in home runs (16), RBI (63), runs (76), and batting WAR (3.8).
Written by Zachary Engberg
Instead of tweeting “Max Scherzer is going to the IL” and leaving it at that, I’ll add some context Buck Showalter said he expects him to miss one start and maybe two
