Blue Jays suffer major blow as Max Scherzer lands on IL

Toronto put Scherzer on the 15-day IL because of right forearm tendinitis and left ankle inflammation. The club also recalled right-hander Chase Lee from Triple-A Buffalo to take his roster spot.

That is the headline, but the timing makes it sting more. Scherzer was sitting 1 strikeout away from 3500 for his career, a milestone that now gets pushed aside by another health setback.

The bigger baseball problem is what he was giving Toronto before this move. Through 5 starts, Scherzer had a 9.64 ERA over 18 2/3 innings, the roughest opening stretch of any Blue Jays starter.

His latest outing against Cleveland only turned the volume up. On April 24, Scherzer lasted 2 1/3 innings, allowed 7 earned runs, served up 3 home runs and did not record a strikeout.

That start left Toronto asking whether this was only performance or something physical underneath it. Monday's IL move answered at least part of that question.

This also was not the first warning sign. Scherzer already exited a start against the Dodgers on April 6 after just 36 pitches because of right forearm tendinitis, so the same issue has been hanging around for weeks.

That is where this gets heavier for Schneider. The Blue Jays have already been juggling a thin staff, and now one of their biggest names is back on the shelf with no clear timetable attached.

Lee's call-up is part of the response, but he is not a direct Scherzer replacement in terms of role or profile. BlueBirdBanter noted Eric Lauer is expected to help cover the rotation in the short term, with José Berrios also nearing a return.

That matters because Toronto did not bring Scherzer back for depth innings. It brought him back to anchor games, miss bats and give the staff a veteran edge in big spots.

Instead, the first month has turned into a grind of short outings, health questions and now another trip to the injured list. The 3500-strikeout chase is nice, but the Blue Jays need healthy innings a lot more than a round number right now.

Scherzer can still change the story if he gets back healthy. But for the moment, Toronto is left with a battered rotation and a veteran ace whose season has been defined more by pain and instability than results.