Nationals put ace Scherzer again on 10-day IL

Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer is headed again to the injured listing for the second time this month, which means the three-time Cy Younger Award winner will miss this week’s collection towards the Atlanta Braves.

The Nationals introduced hours earlier than Monday’s collection opener towards Atlanta that Scherzer has been positioned on the 10-day IL with a gentle rhomboid pressure. The staff has not disclosed a timeline for a way lengthy he will probably be sidelined.

The transfer is retroactive to July 26, the day after Scherzer’s most up-to-date outing towards the Colorado Rockies.

Scherzer not too long ago underwent an MRI that exposed the rhomboid pressure, and he was unable to throw his bullpen session Sunday, main Nationals supervisor Dave Martinez to acknowledge that Scherzer was “very uncertain” to make his subsequent scheduled begin Tuesday towards the Braves.

Scherzer has been coping with again ache since his June 30 outing towards the Detroit Tigers and was positioned on the IL the weekend after the All-Star Sport. He returned Thursday towards the Rockies, permitting three runs in 5 innings.

The Nationals (56-49) enter Monday 5 half of video games behind the first-place Braves (62-44) within the Nationwide League East. Proper-hander Erick Fedde was recalled from Double-A Harrisburg in a corresponding transfer Monday and is a candidate to fill in for Scherzer towards Atlanta.

In 20 begins this season, Scherzer is 9-5 with a 2.41 ERA and an NL-best 189 strikeouts. Earlier than hitting the IL earlier this month, he was named NL Pitcher of the Month for June after going 6-Zero with a 1.00 ERA.

Scherzer had made solely two journeys to the IL in his whole profession (2009, 2017) earlier than this season.

ESPN’s Eddie Matz contributed to this report.