Max Scherzer is finally ready to rejoin the Toronto Blue Jays' rotation after completing a successful bullpen session on Sunday. Scherzer left his Blue Jays debut prematurely with a thumb injury, and he hasn't pitched for Toronto since. His return has the potential to give a Blue Jays team currently in a postseason spot a major boost, but based on his comments, that return could be short-lived.
Max Scherzer threw between 30-40 pitches in his bullpen Today. Confirmed he'll pitch Wednesday in CLE.
— Hazel Mae (@thehazelmae) June 22, 2025
"My stuff is fine," he told me & @shidavidi. "I'm trying everything I can to manage this (thumb) and make sure I can recover..."There's no knowing, just have to get out there"
I don't know about you, but this doesn't sound like a fully healthy pitcher to me. He thinks his stuff is fine, but he has no idea if his thumb is healthy enough for him to recover correctly.
This thumb injury is nothing new. Scherzer dealt with it in spring training and has dealt with it in recent years as well. In fact, Scherzer made some troubling comments on the state of the injury days before Opening Day.
“When I’m out there, it heats up and it goes away and I’m fine. It’s kind of like tendinitis, in a way. Once it gets hot and gets out there, then I don’t feel it and I can pitch the way I’ve always pitched. I’m not worried about my stuff, I’m worried about how I recover — because this can blow up fast and lead to a lot of other things. “I’ll know what damage I did on it today, tomorrow.”
Again, Scherzer is fine when he pitches and believes his stuff is good, but he has no idea how he'll recover. That concern hasn't gone away at all. We know how his first start of the season went, so what makes anyone think this time will be any different for the 40-year-old?
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Blue Jays fans have every right to be nervous ahead of Max Scherzer's return
If Scherzer is healthy, his return couldn't have come at a better time. The Jays have relied heavily on three starting pitchers — Jose Berrios, Kevin Gausman and Chris Bassitt — all year. They hoped Bowden Francis would prove last season's breakout was real, but he struggled mightily and is now injured. They hoped Scherzer would round out the rotation, but he made just one start, and the Jays have been unable to find a suitable replacement.
He might not be the Scherzer of old, but when he's been able to take the mound, the right-hander has proven he's still a solid pitcher. His issue has been health: A healthy Scherzer would give John Schneider a much-needed fourth starter he can trust, but it's still just hard to believe he's healthy until he proves that he's healthy.
It'll be interesting to see whether he can actually be relied on to take the ball every fifth day. If he can, the Jays got what feels like a trade deadline addition in late June who can really help them in their postseason push. If he cannot, the Jays' rotation will continue to be in a bad spot.