Dog bites ace: Mets' Max Scherzer says weird injury is a 'non-story'

LOS ANGELES — The most correct reaction to the Mets’ newest weird injury: Woof. 

One of Max Scherzer’s dogs recently bit his right hand — his throwing hand — but he said Saturday it will not affect his time line to return from the strained left oblique he suffered last month. 

A Mets official likewise indicated the team is not worried about this setting Scherzer back. The bite was not so bad as to require stitches, the person said. 

“Just clearing a few things up,” Scherzer wrote on Twitter after an initial report from the New York Post. “My dog Rafi hurt her leg on a run. She was howling in pain and I went to calm her down by putting my hands on her. When I did that, she bit my right hand. Fortunately, it wasn’t a bad bite. I took one day off from throwing and was able to long toss the next day. This will have no effect on my rehab and this is literally a non-story.” 

Scherzer's wife, Erica, later tweeted: "Rafi is doing well and getting extra cuddles. Thx to everyone for the well wishes and concern."

Scherzer strained his left oblique about 2 1/2 weeks ago. The Mets said then he would be out six to eight weeks, which would mean a return between late June and mid-July. 

With this episode and Francisco Lindor fracturing the tip of his right middle finger by getting it caught in a door, it’s been a bizarre few days for Mets injuries. But manager Buck Showalter cracked that this is nothing. 

“Stay tuned,” he said. “You don’t even know about some of the other ones. You think that was strange?"

By Tim Healey

timothy.healey@newsday.com@timbhealey

Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.