Max Scherzer Experiencing Injury Issues For Toronto Blue Jays as Opening Day Nears

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer will not make his regularly scheduled spring training start on Thursday because of a lingering thumb issue.

Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet had the following on social media:

Blue Jays are bumping Max Scherzer from his scheduled Thursday start due to a sore right thumb that developed after his last outing on Saturday

Manager John Schneider says club is "just being extra careful with him" and expects to know more about Scherzer's status in coming days

With Opening Day just two-plus weeks away, this certainly bears watching as Scherzer is set to join Chris Bassitt, Jose Berrios, Kevin Gausman and Bowden Francis in the team's starting rotation.

The 40-year-old Scherzer is a 17-year veteran of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals, Texas Rangers, New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers. He helped the Nationals win the World Series in 2019 and was part of the Rangers team that captured the title in 2023.

Lifetime, he's 216-112 with a 3.16 ERA. He battled injury in 2024, making just nine starts, so the Blue Jays will hope he's healthier in 2025. He'll also provide veteran leadership throughout the clubhouse. A notoriously hard worker, he'll set a positive example for young players who come through the clubhouse.

Scherzer is an eight-time All-Star and a three-time Cy Young winner. He's struck out 3,407 batters in his career, which is second among current pitchers (Justin Verlander).

The Blue Jays are coming off a season in which they finished last in the American League East.