Scherzer will pitch another simulated game Saturday

Max Scherzer will take the mound at Nationals Park on Saturday. But he'll again be facing teammates, not the Brewers.

Despite the ace's insistence he's ready to come off the injured list, the Nationals have decided he needs at least one more simulated game to build up his endurance.

Scherzer threw only 32 pitches over two simulated innings, plus warm-up tosses in the bullpen and between innings, on Tuesday afternoon. The following day he pronounced himself healthy and insisted he was ready to face a big league lineup again.

The Nationals considered it, but in the end they decided to take the more conservative path, even if it was difficult to convey that news to their three-time Cy Young Award winner.

"It's trying. Very trying," manager Davey Martinez said. "He wants to pitch, and I don't blame him. I'll be honest with you: I want him to pitch. But we have to be smart, and we have to make sure that when he comes back, he's back for the rest of the season."

Aníbal Sánchez will start Saturday's game on normal rest, with Erick Fedde starting Sunday's series finale.

Scherzer has appeared in only one game since July 6, suffering a pair of upper back injuries, most recently a strained rhomboid muscle. He finally felt well enough to throw off a mound last weekend in New York, which allowed him to throw his simulated game against teammates on Tuesday.

All parties involved insist Scherzer's back feels strong and he's no longer injured. He simply needs to build his arm back up, just as any pitcher would during spring training. The club wants him to be able to throw at least 75 pitches in a big league game before he's activated.

Putting Scherzer on the mound to face the Brewers this weekend would require a severely limited pitch count. That could lead to excess work required from the bullpen. And it also could lead to a delicate conversation between pitcher and manager once he reaches his pitch limit.

"The fact that we're dealing with Max," Martinez said, acknowledging the 35-year-old is different from others on his staff. "All of a sudden, he goes out there and he's got a limit, but he's going to fight you because he says: 'I feel great. I'm ready to go.' No. That'll be another discussion.

"We want to make sure he's totally good to go. And if one more stint, or two stints of a sim game, then so be it. We want to make sure when he comes back, he can go out there and have no discomfort and have his endurance and pitch for as long as we deem he's ready for."

The Nationals could have sent Scherzer on a minor league rehab stint, but none of their nearby affiliates are home this weekend. Martinez also said they wanted top team officials and medical staff to be able to watch him pitch in person, thus the simulated game.

If Saturday's simulated game goes well, the Nationals could elect to activate Scherzer in time to start a game next week at Pittsburgh. If he starts Thursday's series finale at PNC Park, he'd still be on a five-day schedule to face both the Braves and Phillies in September, not to mention start the Oct. 1 National League wild card game.