Max Scherzer continues to make progress in his recovery from a left ankle sprain. The Nationals' ace threw off a mound with no issues again on Friday and the club will determine his next step in the coming days, according to manager Dave Martinez.

“Max threw another bullpen [session] yesterday. He threw the ball really well,” Martinez said during a Zoom session Saturday. “He’s going to have a couple days off, and then we’ll figure out if he wants to throw live BP or throw another bullpen. This was his day to recoup, get some treatment, and we’ll go from there.”

Scherzer initially sustained his injury while doing conditioning drills prior to reporting to camp, then felt discomfort when he tried to throw a bullpen session.

Scherzer was able to throw 40 pitches off a mound Wednesday, and Martinez said the 36-year-old righty's ankle “didn’t bother him at all."

Scherzer is entering the final season of the seven-year, $210 million deal he signed with Washington after 2014.

After finishing among the top five in the National League Cy Young Award voting in each of his first five seasons with the club and winning the award twice, Scherzer didn’t receive a Cy Young vote in 2020. His 3.74 ERA and 1.38 WHIP were both the highest he’s had in a Nationals uniform, though he remained one of the game’s top strikeout artists, finishing ninth in the Majors with 92 K’s.