Mets place Max Scherzer on 15-day IL with left oblique injury - MLB

PITTSBURGH — The New York Mets placed pitcher Max Scherzer on the 15-day injured list with what the club described as “left oblique irritation.”

The move is retroactive to Sept. 4, the day after Scherzer left his start against Washington following five innings with discomfort in his left side. The 38-year-old missed nearly two months earlier in the season with a left oblique strain. Scherzer said this injury is different and not as severe.

“This is days, not weeks, that’s the first and foremost thing,” Scherzer said before New York’s split doubleheader against Pittsburgh.

Mets manager Buck Showalter expects Scherzer to miss at least one start and possibly two to make sure the issue is fully resolved before the postseason begins. Scherzer was supposed to start in Miami. There is no immediate word on who will start in Scherzer’s place.

The Mets were riding a three-game losing streak that dropped them into a tie with surging Atlanta atop the NL East with four weeks left in the season.

Scherzer is 9-4 with a 2.26 ERA in 20 starts this season for New York. He described feeling fatigued in his left side near the end of his start against Washington, when he allowed one run in five innings before exiting. The three-time Cy Young winner said he has “no regrets” about staying in to pitch.

Scherzer described his symptoms as a general feeling of achiness rather than one specific spot that hurts, which is what he experienced in the oblique earlier in the year.

Showalter said test results showed “pretty good news, all things considered,” because they indicated the issue is relatively minor.

“I think the idea is to get it resolved so that he can finish the season strong and be ready for whatever the season holds for us,” Showalter said.

New York recalled left-handed reliever Alex Claudio from Triple-A Syracuse to take Scherzer’s roster spot. The team also recalled right-handed reliever Yoan Lopez to serve as the 29th man for the doubleheader.

To make room for Lopez, the Mets designated right-handed reliever Adonis Medina for assignment.

CARSON CITY, Nev. — A bill introduced in the Nevada Legislature would give the Oakland Athletics up to $380 million for a potential 30,000 seat, $1.5 billion retractable roof stadium on the Las Vegas Strip.

The bulk of the public funding would come from $180 million in transferable tax credits from the state and $120 million in county bonds, which can vary based on interest rate returns. Clark County also would contribute $25 million in credit toward infrastructure costs.

The A’s have been looking for a home to replace Oakland Coliseum, where the team has played since arriving from Kansas City for the 1968 season. The team had sought to build a stadium in Fremont, San Jose and finally the Oakland waterfront, all ideas that never materialized.

The plan in the Nevada Legislature won’t directly raise taxes. It can move forward with a simply majority vote in the Senate and Assembly. Lawmakers have a little more than a week to consider the proposal before they adjourn June 5, though it could be voted on if a special session is called.

The Athletics have agreed to use land on the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip, where the Tropicana Las Vegas casino resort sits. Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao has said he is disappointed the team didn’t negotiate with Oakland as a “true partner.”

Las Vegas would be the fourth home for a franchise that started as the Philadelphia Athletics from 1901-54. It would become the smallest TV market in Major League Baseball and the smallest market to be home to three major professional sports franchises.

The team and Las Vegas are hoping to draw from the nearly 40 million tourists who visit the city annually to help fill the stadium. The 30,000-seat capacity would make it the smallest MLB stadium.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said a vote on the Oakland Athletics’ prospective move to Las Vegas could take place when owners meet June 13-15 in New York.

The plan faces an uncertain path in the Nevada Legislature. Democratic leaders said financing bills, including for the A’s, may not go through if Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoes the five budget bills, which he has threatened to do as many of his priorities have stalled or faded in the Democratic-controlled Legislature.

Under the bill, the Clark County Board of Commissioners would create a homelessness prevention and assistance fund along the stadium’s area in coordination with MLB and the Nevada Resort Association. There, they would manage funds for services, including emergency rental and utility assistance, job training, rehabilitation and counseling services for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

The lease agreement with the Las Vegas Stadium Authority would be up for renewal after 30 years.

Nevada’s legislative leadership is reviewing the proposal, Democratic state Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager said in a statement.

“No commitment will be made until we have both evaluated the official proposal and received input from interested parties, including impacted community members,” Yeager said.