Blue Jays pitcher Scherzer faces long recovery, Gimenez making progress
Veteran starter has been nursing vexing thumb injury since spring training
Author of the article:
Article content
The long, slow road towards a return to a big league mound for Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer may be making progress, but there are plenty of checkmarks still left to hit.
In fact, the best-case scenario for the 40-year-old starter is best measured in multiple weeks rather than anything more imminent..
tap here to see other videos from our team.
Blue Jays pitcher Scherzer faces long recovery, Gimenez making progress Back to video
tap here to see other videos from our team.
Scherzer, who has been nursing a vexing thumb injury since spring training and has made just one abbreviated start with the Jays, threw a bullpen session at the Rogers Centre on Tuesday prior to his team’s game against the San Diego Padres.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider said the session was encouraging in that Scherzer threw 33 pitches, but that it’s just one step in many ahead. Schneider said that Scherzer will have to throw a couple more times off the mound like he did on Tuesday before facing live hitters. If the build up continues without any setbacks, a rehab outing — likely with triple-A Buffalo and likely for multiple starts — would follow before a return to the big leagues.
“It felt good for him,” Schneider said of Scherzer’s work on Tuesday. “It felt like a normal side (session).”
The absence of Scherzer, whose only start on March 29 was abandoned when his thumb issue flared up yet again after just three innings, has been a lingering issue for the Jays short-handed rotation. A reliable fifth starter has yet to emerge, forcing a four-man rotation on occasion and most recently, a bullpen game on Saturday. While the latter worked to perfection in a 2-1 win over the Detroit Tigers, it’s not sustainable with a long season ahead.
Meanwhile, second baseman Andres Gimenez is at least making progress from a quad strain that has kept him out of the lineup for the past 11 games. Schneider said that once Gimenez is cleared to return to action, he likely will need a rehab stint as well.
“When he initially hit the IL, he didn’t have to have a rehab, but I think with the time missed (it’s likely),” Schneider said. “We’ll keep talking to him over the next couple of days as we get closer.”
RECOMMENDED VIDEO
tap here to see other videos from our team.
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.