The Toronto Blue Jays could be without right-handed pitcher Max Scherzer for the foreseeable future.
Scherzer was placed on the injured list on April 27 with right forearm tendinitis and left ankle inflammation. The hope was the IL stint wouldn’t be a long one, but on Wednesday, before the Blue Jays’ series finale against the Tampa Bay Rays, Scherzer gave an update, and it wasn’t a good one.
Scherzer spoke to Blue Jays reporters and said his forearm isn’t healing as he hoped, according to Blue Jays insider Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.
“After throwing at Tropicana Field this morning Max Scherzer said his forearm isn’t responding the way he hoped. Plan now is to talk to more doctors and figure things out from there. His ankle is progressing well, he told me,” Nicholson-Smith wrote.
Scherzer, meanwhile, said he is hopeful he can figure it out soon.
“Got to talk to more doctors and figure it out,” Scherzer said. “The foot, I’m not worried about. My concern is more on this forearm, because now we’ve given it enough time outside of a start, like I should be ramping back up.”
With Scherzer’s forearm not healing as he hoped, it’s unclear when he will be able to return to the Blue Jays’ rotation. But, it’s another blow to Toronto’s rotation as Jose Berrios, who was on a rehab assignment, suffered a setback and has to meet with doctors.
Scherzer is 1-3 with a 9.64 ERA in 5 starts this season for the Blue Jays. He signed a one-year, $3 million deal with Toronto this offseason to return to the Blue Jays.
Blue Jays Fans React to Scherzer Setback
Toronto has been bitten by the injury bug, and Scherzer’s setback is the latest.
Following the news that Scherzer isn’t healing as expected, Blue Jays fans believe that could be it for the future Hall of Famer.
“Likely time to call it a career, that was a waste of money,” a fan wrote.
“If he can get healthy and help out during the postseason he’s still a bargain,” a fan added.
“The way this season has gone, when I saw the first line of this tweet pop up I just knew it wasn’t going to be positive,” a fan wrote.
Scherzer struggled in the regular season last year with the Blue Jays and dealt with injuries. However, in the playoffs, he was solid, including an incredible start in Game 7 of the World Series.
“Officially out of gas,” a fan wrote.
“This might just be it for the legend,” a fan added.
“Time to retire max it’s time,” a fan wrote.
Scherzer is an eight-time All-Star and a three-time Cy Young Award winner.
Toronto Looking to Avoid Sweep
The Blue Jays made it to the World Series last season, but the team has struggled out of the gate this year.
Toronto has dropped the first two games of the series to the Rays and will look to avoid being swept on Wednesday. Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman admits it’s been a frustrating start.
“Listen, we have a bullseye on our back, maybe more than we ever have, and I think we need to kind of maybe expect that,” Gausman said. “It is frustrating for sure, because we know how good we can be. But right now, we’re just not playing at the level that we can.”
The Blue Jays are 16-20.
Blue Jays Handed Concerning Max Scherzer Update Ahead of Rays Game