UNDATED (AP) — Max Scherzer might be back in the New York Mets’ rotation before long. The three-time Cy Young Award winner threw 50 pitches in a simulated game Thursday at Citi Field as he recovers from a left oblique strain. If he keeps feeling good, the right-hander plans to make a minor league rehab start next Tuesday. It’s at least possible he could return to the Mets after that on June 26.
Scherzer got injured May 18 and was expected to miss six to eight weeks. A second rehab start in the minors would likely push his return back to the weekend of July 1-3 at home against Texas.
In other MLB news:
— Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Aaron Ashby exited his start against the New York Mets with left forearm tightness. The team said he was removed as a precaution. Ashby gave up Mark Canha’s two-run homer that tied the score at 4 in the fifth inning, then retired Brandon Nimmo on a grounder. That’s when manager Craig Counsell, pitching coach Chris Hook and an athletic trainer went to the mound. Following a discussion, Ashby walked off the field with the trainer and was replaced by Hoby Milner.
— Mets right-hander Tylor Megill left his start against Milwaukee with shoulder discomfort, the latest setback in a promising season for the second-year pitcher. Megill came off the injured list last week after missing a month with right biceps inflammation. He will have an MRI on Friday, the Mets said. Megill entered 4-2 with a 4.50 ERA. He started for New York on opening day and pitched five scoreless innings in a win at Washington.
— Luis Severino was scratched from his start for the New York Yankees against Tampa Bay and placed on the COVID-19 injured list. Right-hander Clarke Schmidt will replace Severino. Severino is 4-1 with a 2.80 ERA. The 28-year-old right-hander was to have made his 100th career start in the series finale.
— Two people familiar with the deal tell The Associated Press that Major League Baseball has approved the sale of a minority stake in the Cleveland Guardians to David Blitzer, who also has ownership shares in the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and the NHL’s New Jersey Devils. One of the sources says Blitzer will initially have 25% to 30% of the team and will have rights to increase his stake to a controlling interest in several years.
— Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred says the Tampa Bay Rays and Oakland Athletics need to reach new ballpark deals soon and left open the possibility of considering relocation if agreements are not struck. Tampa Bay’s lease at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, expires after the 2027 season. The Athletics have played at the Coliseum since 1968, and their lease expires after the 2024 season. The A’s have proposed a new ballpark and are working with Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf to gain the necessary approvals.
— Minor league games with a pitch clock have averaged 2 hours, 35 minutes this season, down from 3:04 through June 14 last year. It’s an experiment that Major League Baseball is preparing for possible adoption in 2023. However, robot umpires calling balls and strikes are not close to a big league promotion. MLB is considering a 14-second pitch clock with no runners, a 19-second pitch clock with runners, limits on defensive shifts and use of larger bases. A competition committee comprised of six management officials, four union representatives and one umpire was established in the new collective bargaining agreement, and it has the right to make on-field rules changes with 45 days’ notice.
— All-Star outfielder Jesse Winker and the Seattle Mariners avoided a salary arbitration hearing when they agreed to a $14.5 million, two-year contract. Winker gets $6.25 million this year and $8.25 million in 2023. In the second season, he can earn $400,000 in performance bonuses for plate appearances. Winker was a first-time All-Star last year for Cincinnati, setting career bests with a .305 average, 24 homers and 71 RBIs. He was traded in March.
— Kansas City infielder Nicky Lopez went to salary arbitration with the Royals, asking for $2.9 million instead of the team’s $2.55 million offer. A decision is expected Friday. Lopez had career bests of a .300 average and 22 stolen bases in 23 chances last season, when he had two homers and 43 RBIs. He made $597,500 and was eligible for arbitration for the first time.
