Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer has been scratched from his start Saturday night against the Baltimore Orioles after experiencing triceps discomfort. Jon Lester will start in place of Scherzer.
Scherzer, who has dealt with a groin injury this season, says he believes the discomfort comes from a lack of swings during batting practice that he is accustomed to in between starts.
Nationals manager Dave Martinez says an MRI on Scherzer came back “extremely clean” and the hope is he avoids the injured list and makes his next start which is slated for Thursday. Coincidentally, his next scheduled start comes a day before the July 30 MLB trade deadline.
Earlier Saturday, MLB insider Jon Heyman reported Max Scherzer has been discussed in trade talks by the Nationals as the deadline vastly approaches. The Nationals are seven games back in the NL East with six games before the deadline.
Scherzer is in the final year of a seven-year, $210 million deal. He has veto powers so he can reject any potential trade. Essentially he will get to dictate where he lands. Meanwhile, the Nationals would love to let the future Hall of Famer and three-time Cy Young winner finish out his contract. However, the team’s fading playoff hopes could force them into being sellers during the next week.
Surely, the Nationals will deny Scherzer’s scratch is related to an imminent trade. But, it’s hard not to overlook the fact we may have seen the last of Scherzer in a Nationals uniform.
