Max Scherzer gave John Schneider another uneasy Blue Jays update, and this one sounded less like progress than another detour.
Schneider said Scherzer is flying to Dallas on Friday for a cortisone shot in his back to ease what he called “left side stuff.” He threw a bullpen Thursday and will return to Toronto over the weekend.
On paper, that reads like treatment plus wait-and-see. In real baseball terms, it reads stranger than that, because the Blue Jays are once again trying to squeeze a return out of a body that keeps pushing back.
Scherzer is already on the injured list with back spasms, retroactive to June 14. This is also his second trip to the IL this season after earlier issues tied to right forearm tendinitis and left ankle inflammation.
That is why this latest update lands with some fatigue around it. A bullpen session is nice, but a cortisone shot right after it does not sound like a pitcher moving cleanly toward his next start.
It also is fair to ask what Toronto is really chasing here. Scherzer has made 5 starts this season and owns a 10.23 ERA over 22.0 innings.
That does not erase what he has meant in the game or what he gave the Blue Jays last October. It does mean this comeback effort has started to look more stubborn than sensible.
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The Blue Jays may need to stop forcing this
Toronto is 39-42 and has dropped 3 straight, so the standings do not leave much room for sentiment. A club in that spot needs innings it can plan around.
Right now, Scherzer is not giving them that. His last game came on June 10 against Philadelphia, and since then the conversation has shifted back to treatment, travel and timing.
That is where the whole thing starts to feel off. When every update needs another medical layer, the pitcher is no longer just building up for the mound. He is surviving the build-up itself.
Schneider is doing what managers do in these spots. He is leaving the door open, keeping the language soft and hoping the next checkpoint looks better than the last one.
But the Blue Jays might be better served by backing away from the idea that Scherzer has to rescue part of this rotation. At some point, trying again and again can turn into wish-casting.
Fans do not need to disrespect Scherzer to see it that way. They just need to look at the pattern, and the pattern says Toronto should stop pushing for one more return until his body shows it can actually hold one.
Should the Blue Jays stop trying to rush Max Scherzer back?
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