New York Mets Scratch Max Scherzer from Saturday Start

The New York Mets have scratched Max Scherzer from his start Saturday, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

If you know a fan of the Mets, you may want to get in touch with them just to make sure they aren’t ready to jump off the nearest bridge. This news about Scherzer comes one day after it was announced that Jacob deGrom would be lost to the Mets for approximately two months due to a stress fracture in his shoulder. While the Mets have yet to give a reason for Scherzer not pitching Saturday, it could just be because they are playing it safe with their new ace.

Scherzer reportedly has a minor hamstring injury. The team may not feel it wise to risk further injury in a meaningless spring training game, especially when you consider that Scherzer has been far ahead of all other pitchers in MLB as far as innings pitched this spring is concerned.

In a possible related story, the Mets are in advanced discussion with the San Diego Padres to possibly acquire Eric Hosmer, Emilio Pagan, and Chris Paddack, with Dominic Smith going back to the Padres. This would essentially be a salary dump by the Padres as they would eat a significant chunk of money in this deal.

The Mets, at +850, are still considered one of the favorites to represent the National League in the World Series. You can find the odds for every team to reach the World Series at the FanDuel Sportsbook.