Scherzer scratched with neck spasms; Peterson gets call
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CINCINNATI -- Right-hander Max Scherzer was scratched ahead of his expected start on Tuesday against the Reds.
Lefty David Peterson was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse to start in his place. To make room on the active roster, the Mets placed reliever Jimmy Yacabonis on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to Monday) with a left quad strain.
Scherzer felt the neck issue coming on during a workout Sunday and did his usual microneedling treatment. However, he woke up on Monday with the right side of the neck locked up, and the condition didn’t improve by Tuesday.
Scherzer has dealt with neck spasms in the past and even missed a 2019 World Series start with the Nats because of the issue. Given that experience, he believes he will be better in a matter of days and plans to pitch during this road trip, which runs through Monday. Manager Buck Showalter said that Thursday is the earliest he could consider starting the veteran.
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“I’ve tried the mistake of taking Toradol and you go, and you just rip it up,” Scherzer said before Tuesday’s game, referring to the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. “You’ll strain your neck and then you’re definitely on the IL. I wish I could just take a Toradol shot and go out and pitch and have everything be fine, but that’s not how this works on this specifically.”
The 38-year-old Scherzer has been battling shoulder and back discomfort for most of the season and had to have an April start pushed back because of the injury. His velocity in his most recent start on Wednesday in Detroit was down as well.
However, Scherzer does not think the injuries are related because there was no acute event that caused the spasm. Plus, he’s had neck spasms in the past without a scapula issue.
“I can look everybody in the eye and say, ‘Look, I didn’t do anything to jeopardize this, to make this come about,'” Scherzer said. “I was doing everything to make it not like this. If I were frustrated by this, it’s because of how I pitched, and I just want to pitch well and get over this and get going this year. That’s probably the reason for the frustration."
Through five starts this season, Scherzer has a 5.56 ERA with 20 strikeouts and 10 walks in 22 2/3 innings. He has completed six innings in just one of his five starts and served a 10-game suspension for violating the prohibitions on foreign substances.