Betts: Thumb down for Scherzer’s Opening Day odds?

Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Max Scherzer is dealing with a thumb injury and is unsure if he’ll be ready for Opening Day. Photo: Toronto Blue Jays

March 17, 2025

By Matt Betts

Toronto Blue Jays

The 50-pitch mark is causing issues for Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Max Scherzer.

It’s at that point his ailing thumb seems to be flaring up. Albeit not necessarily during the outing, but the next day.

And now the Blue Jays wait after Scherzer threw to minor league hitters at the team’s player development complex on Monday.

When he met with the media following the simulated game, he sounded unsure and a tad frustrated of where everything stands.

“I really won’t know anything until tomorrow,” Scherzer said.

“That’s been the issue with this whole thumb injury is it’s nothing during the game or after the game, it’s the next day. I just don’t recover well.”

An MRI on the ailing digit showed no structural damage, which is a good sign for an organization that’s sporting a talented but aging rotation.

If Scherzer isn’t ready to go, Yariel Rodriguez could be one option as a stop gap solution.

More on the mind of Scherzer than the thumb itself is the role it can play in overall arm health. Changing arm action or grip on the baseball can not only hinder short-term performance but long-term durability.

This isn’t new to Scherzer, as he said he’s been dealing with it since 2023 and into the 2024 season.

In 2023, he injured his teres major at Rogers Centre while a member of the Texas Rangers. In 2024, it was a sub scapula injury.

“The thing I’ve learned over the years here is your thumb is absolutely critical to your arm health,” he said.

“The danger of pitching on this is you can sustain a shoulder injury. That’s why I’m working with the hand specialists, the doctors and the trainers. How can we move forward and not have this blow up into something worse?”

During the offseason, Scherzer said he worked on grip strength and his forearm. Given the problem arises around 50 pitches, he’s not convinced it’s a grip strength issue.

So, what’s the plan if Scherzer wakes up with pain in his right thumb tomorrow?

“We’re trying to figure out what we’re going to do, if that were to happen,” he said.

“At this point, it’s day by day.”