There’s no denying Max Scherzer has had a rough go of it so far this season, and the latest announcement makes it fair to wonder when we’ll see him on the mound again as a Toronto Blue Jay.
Just a few hours before a scheduled start in Boston against the Red Sox on Wednesday, the team announced that Scherzer had been placed on the 15-day injured list with back spasms. Relief pitcher Braydon Fisher will instead take the ball as an opener for the second game of the series.
Many have speculated whether the Blue Jays should shut Scherzer down or remove him from the rotation altogether given his struggles this year, but the veteran remains confident in his abilities with the goal of returning from this latest ailment.
“I’m frustrated. I wanted to get in that rhythm. I wanted to be out there. My arm feels like it’s in a really great spot right now, but I can’t go.
I absolutely have the utmost belief that I can be out there, I can be pitching, I can be helping the team win. Nothing that has happened has changed that,”
The 41-year-old Scherzer has gone 1-4 and is sporting a 10.23 ERA through six starts this season. He signed a one-year, $3 million contract to stay with the Blue Jays and extend his career this winter.
With Shane Bieber nearing a return to join Kevin Gausman, Dylan Cease, Trey Yesavage, and Patrick Corbin in the rotation, there isn’t much of a need for Scherzer, so allowing him to get some rest could certainly be beneficial. Not to mention Toronto may very well be in the market to add another starter ahead of the deadline, which would further push the veteran down the depth chart.
It would be a disappointing way for things to end, but Scherzer’s performance has been hurting the Blue Jays, and as a soon-to-be 42-year-old, it’s fair to question how much he has left to give — in Toronto, at least.
