Max Scherzer's comeback just hit another snag, and this time it's not just about his back.
According to John Schneider, the 41-year-old right-hander received three cortisone shots in his thumb, adding a new complication to an already difficult recovery.
Toronto's official injury designation still has him working back from a back issue, now updated to keep him out until at least July 22.
But this latest thumb concern signals there's more going on than a single injury holding him back.
Schneider described it as a real pause period for Scherzer, and his next rehab start is now listed as TBD, with no firm timeline attached.
That's a notable step back from where things stood just weeks ago, when Scherzer was working through a rehab assignment with Triple-A Buffalo.
His season numbers already reflected a rough year even before this latest complication, sitting at a 10.23 ERA and a 1.73 WHIP across just six starts.
Why multiple issues at once complicate this comeback
Needing three separate cortisone shots in a thumb suggests this isn't a minor irritation that clears up in a few days.
For a 41-year-old pitcher already managing a back injury, adding a thumb issue into the mix makes the entire rehab process that much harder to predict.
Cortisone shots can offer real short-term relief, but repeated injections in the same area often point to a deeper problem that needs more than rest to fully resolve.
It's a bit like patching the same section of roof over and over, buying time without necessarily fixing what's actually causing the leak.
Does this update mean Scherzer's season is quietly slipping away the same way Anthony Santander's has, or is a "pause" genuinely just that, a temporary delay before he ramps back up?
For now, Toronto waits on more clarity, and Scherzer's path back to a big league mound looks murkier than it did just a few weeks ago.
Do you think Max Scherzer pitches for the Blue Jays again this season?
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