The Toronto Blue Jays need Max Scherzer on the bump to be the team they’re looking to be throughout the 2025 campaign.
The Blue Jays, who have played decently to start the season, would be better with Scherzer on the mound. While the veteran isn’t what he once was, it’s tough to argue against what he’s done throughout his career.
Even after posting a 3.95 ERA in 2024, despite only starting in nine games, Scherzer has been very good over the past few seasons. He’s been able to put together some solid numbers, something that would help the Blue Jays’ rotation.
Scherzer Close to Return
According to the team, speaking with ESPN, the Blue Jays were able to get him back on the mound against hitters for the first time since March, a promising sign for the organization.
“I thought his stuff was really good,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said before Wednesday night’s game. “Afterward, he said he felt good, so that’s a really good step in the right direction.”
Scherzer can’t be activated until May 29, as the Toronto Blue Jays transferred him to the 60-day injured list earlier in the week.
With his thumb injury, which kept him out for parts of the 2022 and 2023 campaigns, Scherzer understands the pain he’s dealing with, adding that it’s something he already has felt, and that he won’t celebrate it until he’s back on a big league mound doing what he does best.
“It felt good,” Scherzer said. “I’ve gotten all the inflammation out, so I can finally grip the ball again and not blow out my shoulder. But I’m not celebrating this until I’m back starting in a major league game.”
Injuries are prevalent in baseball, and with Scherzer being 40 years old, it’s tough to blame him for what he’s dealt with. However, Scherzer admitted that he’s done everything he has to do, and it’s a bit frustrating that he’s had to deal with his injuries. The right-hander felt the injury during spring training a few months ago and wanted to be smart with it.
“This is what knocked me out in 2023, and [I had it] all of last year,” Scherzer said. “It wasn’t so much the back injury, it was this thumb injury giving me all the fits in the world. I thought I addressed it. I thought I had done all the grip-strength work, but I came into spring training, and it popped back out.”
Blue Jays Season Outlook
The Toronto Blue Jays, as a team, have some question marks heading into the bulk of the season. For the Blue Jays to be the type of team they’re looking to be during the bulk of the year, they need guys like Scherzer to be healthy.
On top of that, the Blue Jays have to be a better offensive team, putting together better at-bats.
There’s plenty that has to go in their favor throughout the 162-game MLB season, but the Blue Jays have some talent, and if things click, they have an opportunity to be a decent team around the league.
Blue Jays Make Major Announcement on Max Scherzer