Toronto Blue Jays announce surprising update on Max Scherzer
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Should we be expecting Blue Jays' pitcher Max Scherzer back into the rotation any time soon?
Scherzer recently had a second cortisone injection in his thumb following a visit to another hand specialist. While needing a second shot suggests the first wasn't entirely effective, manager John Schneider remains optimistic.
Keegan Matheson from MLB.com writes that if Scherzer's thumb improves and he returns to the Blue Jays' rotation in a few weeks, their already strong pitching staff could become one of the best in baseball. However, if the thumb continues to cause issues, the uncertainty will persist, and Toronto's depth will be further tested.
"Scherzer will rejoin the Blue Jays on Monday in Houston for their road trip that carries on to New York later next week. The club hopes Scherzer can play catch early in the week, which is the first important test." -Matheson
This is where it's useful to compare Scherzer's current recovery to his efforts over the past two weeks. After his last cortisone injection in early April, Scherzer gradually worked his way back to throwing, including sessions during the recent road trip through New York and Boston. At Fenway Park, Scherzer mentioned still feeling some lingering tightness from the injection, making it a daily challenge as he tried to increase his intensity and gauge how his thumb would respond.
Matheson also writes that we've only seen three innings of Scherzer before his thumb issue cut short his Blue Jays debut, but the glimpses of the future Hall of Famer during camp were enough to make one thing clear...When Scherzer is fully healthy and at ease, he can still dominate a big league lineup.
"In a perfect world, Scherzer throws without pain, gets back on a mound in a week and spends a couple of weeks building back up as a starter, blowing past that magic number of 50 pitches that has given his thumb trouble in the past. As you've already seen, though, this thumb issue is complicated. It's better to view this narrowly. Playing catch without pain is step one, so it's time for a second crack at step one." -Matheson
Hopefully, this second cortisone shot will speed up Scherzer's recovery and get him back onto the mound much sooner.
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