Recoveries for Mets' Max Scherzer, Jacob deGrom coming along nicely
Mets starting pitcher Max Scherzer looks back at St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Albert Pujols on first base during the fourth inning of an MLB baseball game at Citi Field on Wednesday, May 18, 2022. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Max Scherzer might be glaring at live batters very soon, Buck Showalter said, and Jacob deGrom could join him soon after.
Scherzer, who’s recovering from an oblique strain that was expected to sideline him until early July, is progressing at a strong clip, already has thrown off a mound and could throw batting practice in the coming days, Showalter said Friday before the Mets played the Angels.
“He’s doing great,” Showalter said. “He’s doing well. I’m not going to get into [is he] ahead, behind schedule. He’s where he needs to be and he’s in the competitive mix . . . The thing with Max, you’ve got to try and slow him down sometimes, but he’s feeling good.”
DeGrom, who hasn’t pitched this year because of a stress reaction in his right shoulder blade, has thrown two bullpen sessions and will throw a third on Saturday, Showalter said. Facing live hitters would be the next step. An early July return also is possible for deGrom.
And that’s great news for the Mets and their rotation, which entered Friday’s game with a 5.28 ERA since Scherzer landed on the injured list on May 19. Scherzer was 5-1 with a 2.54 ERA before getting hurt.
They did welcome the return of Tylor Megill, who started Friday night after getting put on the IL on May 12 with biceps tendinitis. Righthanded reliever Stephen Nogosek was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse in a corresponding move.
Trevor May (stress reaction in his humerus) and James McCann also are taking positive steps, Showalter said. May tweeted Friday that it was his first day of throwing since getting hurt on May 4. McCann, who had surgery on his wrist in mid-May, has begun swinging, Showalter said.
“Got sent a tape by Glenn [Sherlock] of him receiving for about 10 minutes,” Showalter said. “He’s doing great. He’s moving along quickly.”
Pete plays
Pete Alonso may have lost his ironman streak, but he didn’t lose his ironman status. Alonso missed a game after getting hit in the hand with a 95.7-mph slider, ending his streak of 151 consecutive games played, but instead of hitting the injured list, Alonso was in the lineup Friday, batting cleanup and playing first base. Starling Marte (left quadriceps tightness) sat for another day.
Alonso passed a grip test pregame, though his hand remained bruised. Marte ran with trainers in the outfield, though the Mets opted to play Jeff McNeil in right for the first time since 2020. Mark Canha shifted to left.
Loup wanted to return
After a career-best season, Aaron Loup headed into free agency with every intention of trying to return to the Mets. So much so that when the Angels began sniffing around and then began aggressively courting the lefthanded reliever, Loup tried his very best to stall.
“It took a little bit to get them on the phone,” Loup said of the Mets. “I had to stall these guys for as long as I could and then, eventually, everything we asked for, they kept giving us, so I couldn’t wait around any longer.”
Loup, who pitched to a 0.95 ERA with the Mets in 2021 and appeared to be mimicking those results early in the season before a brutal stretch in May, said he knew the Mets didn’t have a general manager at the time, but he couldn’t wait any longer. He signed a two-year, $17 million deal in November, with a club option for 2024, right before the lockout-induced free-agency freeze. He came into Friday 0-2 with a 4.43 ERA, three blown saves and eight holds.
“Yeah, in a way,” he said when asked if he was disappointed not to return. “I had a career year. I’m not going to throw a better season than the one I had last year, so in a way, you’d love to run it back, but at the same time, these guys wanted me about as bad as I’ve ever been wanted over the course of my career, so I can’t complain there, either.”
Either way, things look as if they’ve worked out — the Angels outfitted the area near his locker with a mini-fridge full of Busch Light — and there are no hard feelings.
“I wish the best for those guys over there,” he said. “They’re having a pretty good year so far, so hopefully they can keep it going, except for these three games.”
Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.
