Manager Dave Martinez said it's up to him and his coaching staff to make sure Scherzer goes at a pace that his ankle allows.
"Right now, he's a little ornery," Martinez said. "He wants to be out there with his teammates and we're not allowing him to do that."
Coming off a 5-4 record and a 3.74 ERA during the pandemic-truncated 2020 season, Scherzer said he thinks he's discovered "a little mechanical thing I can fix that can help everything play up just a little bit more."
He has gone 84-43 with a 2.80 ERA and 1,463 strikeouts across 1,118 innings over 170 starts during his half-dozen years in Washington.
The 36-year-old right-hander earned a pair of Cy Youngs and five All-Star nods in that span.
"You sign a seven-year deal like that's forever. But it's gone by pretty quick, and here we are. Honestly, I don't know, I'm pretty good about tuning all this ... out," Scherzer said. "For me, it's just: Show up to the park and win. Come in and do your job and all the contract stuff takes care of itself."
Martinez's thoughts as the leader of the club's strong rotation enters the last year of his deal?
"I just want him to have the best year of his career, and then whatever happens after that, happens," Martinez said. "Would I love to have him back here for many, many years? Absolutely. Right now we'll take it in stride. The biggest thing right now is to get him healthy. Get him back on the mound."
NOTE: Martinez said Strasburg, who had carpal tunnel surgery on his throwing wrist in August, is "well on his way to open up with us, as if it was a regular spring training."
FILE - Washington Nationals starting pitcher Max Scherzer delivers a pitch during the first baseball game of a doubleheader against the New York Mets in Washington, in this Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020, file photo. The last spring training of Max Scherzer's $210 million, seven-year contract with the Washington Nationals is not exactly beginning the way he -- or the team -- would prefer. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File) |
Photo: AP
