Mets' Scherzer set to return, Bassitt on IL

Max Scherzer is scheduled to return to the New York Mets’ rotation Tuesday in Cincinnati after missing over a month with a strained left oblique muscle.

Scherzer, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, has been sidelined since injuring his oblique while pitching against St. Louis on May 18.

“If you look at the timeframe of this injury over the course of a lot of history, you look at other people with this injury and what’s the usual timeline, he’s met all the criteria,” Mets manager Buck Showalter said Friday.

Scherzer made two rehab starts for Double-a Binghamton and threw 80 pitches Wednesday against Hartford. The right-hander allowed three runs — two earned — and four hits in 4 2/3 innings, striking out eight and walking one.

“I have a much better grasp on what this is,” Scherzer said Friday. “I definitely crossed that six week timeline so you feel a lot more confident. You feel it’s starting to get in my rearview mirror.”

Scherzer also threw 65 pitches on June 20 for Binghamton against Reading, allowing two runs and three hits in 3 1/3 innings with six strikeouts and a walk.

After signing a $130 million, three-year contract, Scherzer is 6-2 with a 2.54 ERA in eight starts during his first season with the Mets.

• Mets right-hander Chris Bassitt was scratched from his Friday start and placed on the injured list with a non-injury hours before the contest with the visiting Texas Rangers.

Multiple outlets reported Bassitt was placed on the COVID-19 list.

Bassitt (6-5, 4.01 ERA) beat the Miami Marlins on Saturday when he gave up three runs and six hits over seven innings.

Maki chosen as new Twins pitching coach

The Minnesota Twins named Pete Maki as their pitching coach.

He replaces Wes Johnson, who accepted the role of pitching coach at Louisiana State University on Monday.

Maki, 39, has spent the past two-plus seasons as Minnesota’s bullpen coach. He joined the Twins organization prior to the 2018 season as minor league pitching coordinator.

Previously, Maki served as an assistant coach at the University of New Haven (2006-07), an assistant pitching coach at Columbia University (2008-15) and as the pitching coach at Duke University (2015-17).

Colby Suggs, who was the Twins’ coordinator of run prevention, assumes the role of bullpen coach.