Max Scherzer will not make his scheduled Tuesday start due to a thumb injury, the Nationals announced.
Scherzer jammed his right thumb during at-bat Thursday against the Cardinals and manager Matt Williams officially ruled him out today. However, according to Williams the hope is that Scherzer will only have to be pushed back in the rotation rather than missing an entire turn, setting him up to potentially start later this week.
Tanner Roark, who threw 199 innings with a 2.85 ERA last season but was bumped from the rotation by Scherzer’s arrival as a free agent, seems like the obvious option to fill in for Scherzer against the Braves.
Scherzer is in the first season of a seven-year, $210 million contract and has pitched very well through four starts with a 1.26 ERA and 29/4 K/BB ratio in 29 innings.