Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Max Scherzer said Wednesday that he’s confused about why the tendinitis in his forearm isn’t getting better and that he’s going to seek further opinions from more doctors.
Scherzer, 41, was placed on the injured list April 27. He is 1-3 with a 9.64 ERA in five starts, with the three-time Cy Young Award winner having failed to get through the third inning in three of those.
“I can still tell there’s something off in my arm,” Scherzer told reporters Wednesday after a throwing session at the Rays‘ Tropicana Field. “So, it’s as confusing as anything I’ve ever had because, usually, you go get an MRI, you would see something. I would think that would show up, and yet there’s nothing in there on an MRI. There’s no strains; there is no inflammation per se. So, I’m going to have to talk to more doctors to figure out a course of action here.
“… We’ve given it enough time outside of a start, like, I should be ramping back up.”
Blue Jays manager John Schneider said he’s not sure when Scherzer will be able to return.
“It’s kind of cloudy right now,” Schneider told reporters. “There’s no real firm timetable as to when he’s going to really start getting after it. I think we’ll know more in a couple of days.”
On the plus side, Scherzer said the left ankle inflammation that had been hampering him has improved to the point that he’s “not worried about that long-term whatsoever.”
Scherzer, who started Game 7 of last year’s World Series, remained with the Blue Jays by agreeing to a $3 million, one-year contract for his 19th MLB season that allows him to earn $10 million in performance bonuses for innings starting with 65.
An eight-time All-Star, Scherzer went 5-5 with a 5.19 ERA in 17 starts and 85 innings for the Blue Jays last season. He made three starts in the postseason, beating Seattle 8-2 in Game 4 of the AL Championship Series and making two starts in the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Scherzer, who has a career record of 222-120 with a 3.26 ERA, won titles with Washington in 2019 and Texas in 2023. He ranks 11th on the strikeouts list with 3,499 — 10 behind Hall of Famer Walter Johnson.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
