TORONTO -- In the bullpen before his Blue Jays debut, Max Scherzer felt that something wasn¡¯t right.
He gave manager John Schneider a heads-up before the game, asking that they work with him as he tried to pitch through this, but after three innings and 45 pitches, Scherzer¡¯s debut came to a sudden end with right lat soreness. And he was subsequently placed on the 15-day injured list on Sunday morning with right thumb inflammation that changed his throwing motion and led to the lat issue.
¡°I just didn¡¯t feel like I could really let the ball go. I had to back down the effort level,¡± Scherzer said after Saturday¡¯s 9-5 loss to the Orioles at Rogers Centre. ¡°I was able to at least get through three and not blow up the bullpen, but after that third inning, I could just tell that we were in imminent danger. If you keep pitching through this as the arm fatigues, this is going to go.¡±
Making this more worrying is that this issue is directly tied to the recurring thumb problem Scherzer experienced in Spring Training. His frustration was clear even then, after he¡¯d spent the offseason working on improving his grip strength and thumb strength, only to end up in the same place.
¡°This is 100% related to the thumb,¡± Scherzer said. ¡°My shoulder, everything is compensating because of that thumb. The thumb is slightly better, but I still have discomfort in there. Even though I was able to grip the ball a little bit better today, I still have discomfort in my thumb. My arm is making adjustments because of that. That¡¯s a recipe for disaster.¡±
All of this language -- from ¡°imminent danger¡± to ¡°recipe for disaster¡± -- is jarring on March 29. The Blue Jays knew they were taking on a certain level of risk with the 40-year-old Scherzer, but this has already gone down a troubling path.
Scherzer was visibly unhappy in the dugout after speaking with pitching coach Pete Walker and Chris Bassitt, whom he¡¯s close with. Even two hours later, speaking in front of the cameras, the edge was still in his voice. This is a likely future Hall of Famer known for his drive as much as his talent. They don¡¯t call him ¡°Mad Max¡± because he¡¯s easygoing.
¡°I¡¯m frustrated. I want to pitch. I know I can pitch,¡± Scherzer said. ¡°I know I can throw the ball really well. Unfortunately, I have an issue going on that¡¯s coming from the thumb. I¡¯ve got to address this. I¡¯ve got to zero out that thumb before I pitch again.¡±
The fallout was clear and immediate. Reliever Richard Lovelady allowed four runs, Jacob Barnes gave up another two and the Blue Jays handed a ballgame to the Orioles. The long-term implications are more concerning, though, and as Toronto evaluates Scherzer in the coming days, it'll need to come up with a dozen plans.
Impact on: The rotation
This immediately puts the Blue Jays in an uncomfortable spot, with Scherzer now scheduled to miss an extended period of time.
Yariel Rodr¨ªguez is in the bullpen now, but he spent most of spring stretched out as a starter and got to feel out that role in 2024. Getting Rodr¨ªguez back into that role would likely require pairing him with a piggyback reliever, though, and you also run the risk of having Rodr¨ªguez yo-yo between roles. Think of Bowden Francis, who has only thrived since getting some certainty in the rotation.
Otherwise, Toronto has Eric Lauer and No. 6 prospect Jake Bloss in Triple-A, with Bloss already owning a spot on the 40-man roster. Alek Manoah (Tommy John rehab) is throwing off a mound, but he won¡¯t be ready to return until July at the very earliest.
Impact on: The bullpen
Another factor to consider with Rodr¨ªguez: Sliding him into the rotation at this point would only create a bigger hole in the bullpen.
Saturday was the perfect storm of what can go wrong for the Blue Jays¡¯ pitching. With Erik Swanson and Ryan Burr already on the IL, this group is already getting dangerously close to some waiver-wire churn ¡ and it¡¯s not even April yet.
Regardless of how Scherzer¡¯s rotation spot shakes out, it¡¯s clear this bullpen needs a reliever capable of pitching bulk innings, whether that¡¯s ultimately Rodr¨ªguez or someone who replaces him. After Thursday's off-day, the Blue Jays play 13 games in 13 days beginning with a three-city, 10-game road trip.