Ace Max Scherzer 'good to go' for Mets debut Friday at Nationals

The New York Mets will begin the regular season Thursday evening at the division-rival Washington Nationals with aces Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer both carrying physical setbacks. 

One of those issues is not like the other. 

According to The Associated Press (h/t ESPN), Scherzer told reporters Thursday that the right hamstring problem that prevented him from taking the bump on Thursday shouldn't keep him from starting on Friday evening. The three-time Cy Young Award winner confidently added he'll be "good to go" for what ultimately became the first scheduled start of his Mets tenure after he signed a three-year, $130 million contract with the franchise this past offseason. 

"I knew it was a hiccup. I knew it wasn't a major, like, injury. I've done this a couple times and had an idea what it was," Scherzer explained about his hamstring that first bothered him last week. 

The 37-year-old pitched for the Nationals from 2015 through a portion of the 2021 season and helped them win the 2019 World Series. Tylor Megill was named New York's starter for Thursday's matchup. 

As for deGrom, the two-time Cy Young Award winner officially began the campaign on the 10-day injured list with a stress reaction in the scapula of his pitching shoulder. That was the first indication from the Mets that he may not be sidelined through the end of May as widely assumed.