The Toronto Blue Jays had a very busy offseason, signing players such as Max Scherzer, Anthony Santander and Jeff Hoffman while also trading for Andres Gimenez.
However, they have already dealt with some adversity in spring training. They have contract issues left unresolved with Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Some injuries have also popped up for the Blue Jays. Scherzer in particular is dealing with a minor setback after just three Grapefruit League appearances.
Keegan Matheson of MLB.com revealed exactly what Scherzer is dealing with on Twitter.
“My thumb hurts. It hurts to grip the ball,” Scherzer said Monday. “The critical thing I’ve learned over the years here is that your thumb is absolutely critical to your arm health. Unfortunately, this is what I’ve been dealing with since 2023.”
Scherzer was signed to a one-year, $15.5 million contract this past offseason. The three-time Cy Young winner and eight-time All-Star was limited to just nine starts last year with the Texas Rangers.
In those nine starts, he was effective, going 2-4 with a 3.95 ERA. But he’s been dealing with this chronic thumb issue for the past several years, and it has had a negative impact on his pitching arm.
This could ultimately lead to him missing some time during the regular season. Opening Day is just over a week away, and there may not be much time for the veteran right-hander to ramp back up and be ready for a full workload at the start of the regular season.
It will be interesting to see if he’ll be ready soon and how long he may have to be out.
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