5 days agoArden Zwelling of Sportsnet reports that Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher
Max Scherzer's thumb responded well to his 62-pitch Grapefruit League outing against the Minnesota Twins on Saturday. The 40-year-old pitched four shutout innings, allowing two hits and a walk while striking out four. Scherzer has been battling a thumb injury but appears to be progressing. If he experiences no setbacks, the former first-round pick is slated to pitch in the team's third contest against the Baltimore Orioles next Saturday. Scherzer is an intriguing late-round arm in fantasy drafts, selected on average just inside the top 300 players. While he may not be the same dominant pitcher he was in the past, the veteran could return some value if he can stave off injuries in 2025.
--Alex CiullaSource: Arden Zwelling
1 week agoToronto Blue Jays right-hander
Max Scherzer (thumb) will start the team's Grapefruit League game on Saturday against the Minnesota Twins, according to Sportsnet's Arden Zwelling. Scherzer asked to make the two-hour road trip to Fort Myers because he wanted to face major-league hitters. The 40-year-old future Hall of Famer has been dealing with a nagging right-thumb injury in spring training, but he looked good during a bullpen session on Thursday and is now ready to test his finger in game action and is looking to throw around 60-65 pitches against Minnesota. If Scherzer avoids a setback with his thumb, he should be ready for Opening Day next Thursday. While Scherzer was initially looking like a late-round value pitch as fantasy rotation depth, his thumb injury might have a lot of fantasy managers pumping the brakes.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Sportsnet.ca - Arden Zwelling
1 week agoToronto Blue Jays right-hander
Max Scherzer (thumb) threw a bullpen session in camp on Thursday and said afterwards that the plan is for him to pitch in a game on Saturday, assuming his thumb recovers normally. Manager John Schneider said they would ideally like Scherzer to throw 65 to 70 pitches this weekend. The 40-year-old future Hall of Famer continues to be bothered by a right-thumb injury this spring, but he's pushing through it and could be ready for the start of his first season in Toronto if he makes it through his outing this Saturday without any issues. While the eight-time All-Star and three-time Cy Young winner had been somewhat of a value pick as rotation depth for much of the spring, his thumb injury reminds us that there's still plenty of injury risk surrounding the aging pitcher. Scherzer is just inside RotoBaller's top-100 rankings for starting pitchers.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Jayson Stark
1 week agoToronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider said that right-hander
Max Scherzer (thumb) felt "probably a little bit better than I think I expected" on Tuesday, but that the veteran hurler is still very much day-to-day as the team manages his thumb issue. Toronto is holding out hope that Scherzer can pitch in a game this weekend. The 40-year-old future Hall of Famer has been dealing with a right-thumb injury and is working with a hand specialist as he tries to prepare for the start of his first year with the Blue Jays. The three-time Cy Young winner, eight-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion can still be useful as rotation depth in fantasy leagues, but durability has become a big factor for him as he nears the end of his fantastic career. RotoBaller currently has him ranked as the No. 93 fantasy starter, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him open the year on the injured list.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Keegan Matheson
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