Scherzer, deGrom making progress in rehabs
The road-weary Mets returned home Tuesday to the ultimate sights for sore eyes: more positive steps for injured co-aces Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer.
DeGrom, who has not pitched in a game this season due to a stress reaction in his right scapula, threw a 30-pitch bullpen session Tuesday before the series opener against the Brewers at Citi Field. Scherzer is scheduled to throw live batting practice Thursday as he works back from the oblique strain he suffered on May 18.
“The way to describe this injury and the rehab of this, half of the battle is getting back to 90 percent and then the second half of this battle is 90 to 100 percent,” Scherzer said before the Mets’ 4-0 win over the Brewers. “With the trainers here we’ve done a good job of getting back to 90 percent, but I’m still fighting the fight here to get back to 100 percent. We’ve done good work to get to this point, but I’ve got a lot in front of me.”
The 37-year-old Scherzer, who revealed that he recently received a platelet-rich plasma injection to accelerate the healing, said he hopes he will need just one minor league rehab start before returning to the Mets’ rotation. But he acknowledged he might need more than one.
“It’s hard to narrow down a day because anything can happen with these things,” said Scherzer, who was 5-1 with a 2.54 ERA in eight starts before the injury. “I’ve talked to a lot of people in this league who have had these, both good and bad responses from this. Just trying to understand what it’s like moving forward and having to trust the oblique when I go back out there.”
In updates given to him from general manager Billy Eppler, a Mets spokesman said deGrom “is still in his mound progressions” and “he’s coming along well.” The two-time Cy Young winner, who is slated to throw another bullpen session on Friday, told the Mets’ website that “everything feels good” and “hopefully, [it’s] not too much longer.”
➤ Catcher James McCann (fractured hand) is nearing a rehab assignment. … An MRI exam revealed reliever Colin Holderman has signs of a right-shoulder impingement, and he has been listed as week-to-week. … Reliever Trevor May (triceps) has initiated a light throwing program and will undergo another scan before ramping his intensity and distance. … Outfielder Travis Jankowski (fractured finger) will undergo a scan next week to gauge the healing in his finger.