Scherzer says both leagues need DH: 'No one wants to see a pitcher hit'

Hours after watching fellow All-Star Adam Wainwright go down with a potential season-ending injury, Max Scherzer says the time has come for a universal designated hitter.

Wainwright's year is in jeopardy after the St. Louis Cardinals ace injured his Achilles during an at-bat Saturday - two days after Scherzer exited his start early with a jammed right hand due to a plate appearance.

The two injuries have re-ignited calls to ban pitchers from hitting, and on Sunday, Scherzer delivered the biggest DH endorsement yet from a National League pitcher.

"If you look at it from the macro side, who'd people rather see hit - Big Papi or me?" the Washington Nationals right-hander told Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. "Who would people rather see, a real hitter hitting home runs or a pitcher swinging a wet newspaper? Both leagues need to be on the same set of rules."

Related: Cardinals GM: Unlikely Wainwright pitches again this season

Scherzer, who's spent the majority of his career in the American League, said implementing a league-wide DH would improve offense across the board and limit unnecessary injury risk to pitchers. While Scherzer admits he likes preparing to hit, he questions whether fans actually enjoy watching it.

"They want to see V-Mart hit," he said. "Those kids don't want to see me hit. No one wants (sic) to see a pitcher hit. No one pays money for that."

Commissioner Rob Manfred previously said it's unlikely the NL would adopt the DH position.

"Given the composition of our National League owners, I don't see them buying into it," he said in January. "So I think we’re staying where we are."