Blue Jays put Max Scherzer on 15-day injured list

TORONTO – Right-handed pitcher Max Scherzer was placed on the 15-day injured list with right thumb inflammation by the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday.

Scherzer will see a hand specialist on Monday and will miss at least one start. He was scheduled to pitch again on Friday.

The move was made less than 24 hours after the future Hall of Famer made his Blue Jays debut in a 9-5 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday, leaving with right lat soreness that he said was a compensatory injury caused by the thumb inflammation.

Scherzer lasted only three innings, tossing 45 pitches, yielding two runs on three hits with a strikeout and no walks.

“He felt better than he thought he would today, which leads us to believe we probably did the right thing for him long-term (on Saturday,)” Toronto manager John Schneider said.

“He’s frustrated. He wants to pitch. Hopefully, this kind of resets him. We need him to be an elite pitcher, and we want him to find the best process for him to get out on the mound.”

The 40-year-old veteran signed a one-year, US$15.5 million contract with Toronto on Feb. 4.

Scherzer is an eight-time all-star and has won the Cy Young Award as the best pitcher in his league three times. He has a 216-112 record over his 17-year career with a 3.16 earned-run average and 3,408 strikeouts.

Left-handed pitcher Easton Lucas was recalled from the Blue Jays’ triple-A affiliate in Buffalo, N.Y., in a corresponding move. He was available for Sunday’s series finale against the Orioles.

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Schneider said Lucas and Yariel Rodriguez are options to fill Scherzer’s spot on Friday.

“(Lucas) will be active today, and it could be it could be him,” Schneider said. “It could be Yariel sliding back into the rotation at this point.

“We’re looking to see where we land after (Sunday) and in the next couple of games and go from there.”

Lucas had an 11.57 ERA in two games for Toronto last season and has a career 1-0 record with a 9.82 ERA in appearances with the Oakland Athletics, Detroit Tigers and Blue Jays.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 30, 2025.

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