New York Mets ace Max Scherzer may be back on a major league mound sooner than originally predicted.
The New York Post’s Jon Heyman reported on Sunday that Scherzer could make his return as early as next Sunday against the Marlins in Miami.
Scherzer, who has been out with an oblique injury since May 18, is scheduled to pitch in a minor league rehab start on Tuesday. According to Heyman, if all goes well, Scherzer will be in “consideration” to start Sunday. Heyman also said that the Mets aren’t providing a public return date for Scherzer due to any potential setbacks he might have.
On Wednesday, FOX’s Ken Rosenthal reported that the best-case scenario for the 37-year-old Scherzer would be a return in late June.
The Mets have played well in Scherzer’s absence and can afford to take their time with him to make sure he’s fully healthy for the second half of the season.
In the 29 game since Scherzer’s injury, the Mets have gone 20-9 and lead the National League East by 5.5 games. Mets pitchers have combined for the 13th-lowest ERA in the majors (3.86), and rank first in strikeouts (638), 10th in WHIP (1.22) and fifth in innings pitched (603.2).
