Can the New York Mets hold up without Max Scherzer being out 6-8 weeks with an oblique strain?

The New York Mets, who are currently sitting atop the standings in the NL East with a 28-15 record in 43 games into the season, received some devastating news on Thursday when it was announced that their three-time Cy Young winner, Max Scherzer, was diagnosed with an oblique strain during Wednesday night’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals. The moment came early in the sixth inning with two outs when Scherzer removed himself from the game due to feeling soreness on the left side of his body.

Scherzer stated that he "Just felt a zing on my left side and just knew I was done. When I felt it, I just knew there's no way you can throw another pitch, so just get out of there." He threw 61 of his 87 pitches for strikes against the Cardinals on Wednesday, and left with his team up 6-2, ultimately winning 11-4 against his hometown team.

This injury to Scherzer thins out the Mets' pitcher depth now, especially with Tyler Megill , who’s out with bicep tendinitis, and another former Cy Young winner, Jacob deGrom, yet to make his season debut due to a right separated shoulder injury he suffered during spring training, but MRIs recently showed signs of deGrom’s shoulder healing, according to https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/33932928/mri-reveals-continued-healing-new-york-mets-ace-jacob-degrom-shoulder-blade .

The Mets will now have to rely on guys such as Chris Bassitt, Carlos Carrasco, Taijuan Walker, and call up Triple-A Syracuse Pitcher David Peterson, who appeared in a relief appearance before for the Mets this season, and has been amazing in the minor league.

With Scherzer out for at least two months, and with no timetable for deGrom’s return, the Mets pitchers must show their resilience despite all the injuries and step up in the absence of their two star pitchers injuries. Can they stay atop the NL East in wake of the Scherzer’s and deGrom’s injuries? Or will they succumb to the detriment of the injuries to their pitching booth and fall in the standings? They’re off to a 4-0 start without their top two pitchers in action, three of them should be taken with a grain of salt, as they were against the 19-21 Colorado Rockies, and the other victory against the now 23-18 St. Louis Cardinals.

The true test of the Mets' depth will come against teams such as the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers, who are both above .500 and are top three in the competitive NL West Division.