Mets offer good news, bad news update on Max Scherzer

The New York Mets have offered both encouraging news and a somewhat discouraging update regarding the status of co-ace Max Scherzer. 

"Max threw out to 90 feet today," Mets manager Buck Showalter said before Thursday's series finale at the Cincinnati Reds, according to SNY. "He’s improving each day, so it’s a matter of 'when.' Want to get him up on the mound and make sure that’s okay." 

The bad news is that Showalter wasn't able to say for sure when Scherzer will return to the bump from the neck spasms that caused him to be scratched from Tuesday's scheduled start in Cincinnati. Scherzer definitely won't pitch Friday at the Washington Nationals, as first hoped, but it's possible the three-time Cy Young Award winner could face Washington at some point during the four-game tilt. 

While it was reported Wednesday that the Mets "believe Scherzer’s neck spasms are totally unrelated" to the discomfort "around his shoulder blade" the 38-year-old mentioned ahead of the trip to Ohio, Newsday's Tim Healey noted late Wednesday afternoon that Scherzer’s neck was still "in spasm" during an attempted session of catch. 

Scherzer had an April start pushed back due to back soreness and then served a 10-game suspension related to the alleged use of foreign substances on his hands during a game. He repeatedly denied any wrongdoing but was then roughed up in his return, a start that featured the veteran experiencing decreases in his spin rates and velocity. 

Across five starts and just 22.2 innings of work this season, Scherzer has gone 2-2 with a 5.56 ERA. 

One positive for a Mets team that began Thursday at 18-19 is that Justin Verlander looked much more like a true co-ace in his second regular-season start coming off a shoulder issue that landed him on the injured list on Opening Day. Verlander allowed one run and two hits over seven innings in Wednesday's 2-1 victory over the Reds.