The Toronto Blue Jays entered the season hoping to avenge their Game 7 loss in the World Series. Instead, they are left battling several injuries that continuously chip away at their roster depth. Notably, it’s the starting rotation that has suffered the most, and the Blue Jays could use reinforcements. However, the recent health updates their veteran World Series star shared only add more concern to John Schneider’s plate.
When the Blue Jays placed Max Scherzer on the 15-day IL on April 27 with forearm tendinitis and left ankle inflammation, they hoped it would not be a long one. Yet instead of ramping up towards an MLB return, he is left to figure things out, reported Ben Nicholson-Smith.
“After throwing at Tropicana Field this morning, Max Scherzer said his forearm isn’t responding the way he hoped. Plan now is to talk to more doctors and figure things out from there. His ankle is progressing well; he told me @thehazelmae & @MitchBannon,” wrote Nicholson-Smith on X.
With a 16-20 record and nine games behind in the AL East, the Blue Jays are now relying on depth arms to anchor their rotation. Patrick Corbin and Eric Lauer have come up as reliable arms to fill the gaps in a rotation led by Kevin Gausman, Dylan Cease, and Trey Yesavage. Apart from Scherzer, they have lost José Berríos (right elbow stress fracture), Shane Bieber (right elbow inflammation), and Bowden Francis (Tommy John surgery) as well.
In such a situation, the Blue Jays hoped to get a positive update from Scherzer, but it went the opposite way.
As his right forearm discomfort lingered till Wednesday, Scherzer was unable to progress in his rehab. The biggest issue is that the doctors can’t actually find anything structurally wrong.
After throwing at Tropicana Field this morning Max Scherzer said his forearm isn’t responding the way he hoped. Plan now is to talk to more doctors and figure things out from there.
His ankle is progressing well, he told me @thehazelmae & @MitchBannon
— Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) May 6, 2026
“I can still tell there’s something off in my arm,” he said, per Sportsnet. “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 are no strains, there is no inflammation per se.”
Scherzer will consult more doctors to get some insight about his forearm. However, the left ankle, which was also responsible for his IL stint, is on track to heal.
In his age-41 season, Scherzer holds a 1-3 record across five starts, going 6 innings at the most. He has logged a 9.64 ERA with opponents hitting .297. Scherzer has recorded 4.82 strikeouts per nine innings so far in the season.
The Blue Jays signed Scherzer on a one-year, $3 million contract following his World Series stint for the franchise. In 2025, he became the first pitcher to appear in the World Series for four different franchises, including the Washington Nationals, Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, and the Blue Jays.
Scherzer showed his tenacity as he hurled 4.1 innings against the Dodgers in the winner-takes-it-all Game 7, including a scoreless first. He left the game to a standing ovation as the Blue Jays were leading 3-1.
However, the veteran starter’s return to the rotation remains uncertain, as the discomfort continues.
“It’s kind of cloudy right now,” Schneider remarked, per Sportsnet. “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.”
Meanwhile, more bad news awaited Toronto as veteran starter José Berríos hit a setback during his rehab.
José Berríos’ return hits a new setback
Right-hander José Berríos’ season debut was delayed due to a stress fracture in his throwing elbow. The Blue Jays had placed him on the 15-day IL, and he was looking close to making his big-league return. He was pitching through the fracture as he experienced no pain before the injury was revealed during Spring Training.
Last season, he went 9-5 with a 4.17 ERA across 31 outings with a 1.30 WHIP.
Currently, Berríos is pitching in Triple-A as a part of his rehab after he made two starts in Single-A Dunedin with a 6.75 ERA. However, concerns arose when his velocity suddenly dropped from 93.9mph to 90.8mph last week, according to The Athletic.
The Athletic’s Mitch Bannon reported that Berríos went for MRIs on Tuesday following the velocity drop.
“He kind of, after his last couple of outings, wanted to make sure everything was good,” Schneider told Bannon.
However, as per Schneider, the franchise is hoping Berríos is going through a “dead arm” phase that starters experience as they build up, and nothing serious. But given the team’s luck this year, the rotation woes seem to have no end in sight.
