Mets' Max Scherzer Bitten by His Dog on Throwing Hand; Won't Be Injury Rehab Setback

New York Mets starting pitcher Max Scherzer's dog isn't going to be making any fans in Queens.

Per Mike Puma of the New York Post, Scherzer was bitten on his pitching hand by one of his dogs at his house in Florida recently.

The bite isn't expected to impact Scherzer's return timetable as he continues to rehab from a strained oblique.

Scherzer removed himself from a May 18 start against the St. Louis Cardinals after feeling soreness on his left side.

"Hopefully I got out of there quick enough to prevent a major injury here because I know oblique, intercostal, those things can be nasty," the three-time Cy Young Award winner told reporters. "Hopefully I avoided a serious injury."

He was subsequently placed on the injured list with a six-to-eight week return timetable.

The 37-year-old ace signed a three-year, $130 million contract with the Mets in December after his 2021 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers came to a premature end because of arm soreness during the playoffs.

Scherzer has been mostly durable throughout his MLB career. He made at least 30 starts in 10 consecutive seasons from 2009 through 2018. After 27 outings in 2019 and 12 during the coronavirus-shortened 2020 campaign, he returned to the 30-start threshold in 2021.

Injuries have started to take a major toll on New York's rotation. Two-time Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom has yet to pitch this season because of a shoulder injury, while Tylor Megill landed on the IL with biceps tendinitis.

The Mets feature an impressive combination of high-end talent and depth when it comes to starting pitchers, which bodes well for the remainder of the regular season, but a deep playoff run will likely be heavily dependent on the availability of Scherzer and deGrom.