Mets pitcher Max Scherzer shined in his first rehab assignment following a stint on the injured list for an oblique strain, tossing 3.1 innings with six strikeouts, one walk, three hits, and two runs for the Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies.
Scherzer, who removed himself from his start against the St. Louis Cardinals on May 18 with left side discomfort, told media following his start he feels healthy.
“I want to get back out there so bad,” Scherzer told reporters. “You put in all this work, you see the team playing great baseball, you want to be out there competing and winning with them. I want to be in the big leagues, not be a Rumble Pony.”
The three-time NL Cy Young Award winner had a 1-2-3 second inning and was pulled after conceding a home run to right fielder Jhailyn Ortiz of the Reading Fightin’ Phils in the fourth inning.
Scherzer threw to James McCann, who is rehabbing his fractured left hamate, an injury he suffered in early May. At the plate, McCann went one-for-four with a walk, a run, and a strikeout.
It is likely this will be Scherzer’s only rehab game, as the Mets are eyeing a return to the team for Sunday’s game against the Miami Marlins (June 26).
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