Dave Litman
Sometimes, a pitcher going on the injured list is a big blow to a team. But let’s admit that sometimes, it’s not such a bad thing. The latter is the case for Toronto Blue Jays starter Max Scherzer. He’s hitting the IL with “forearm & ankle injuries.”
Truth be told, forearm tendinitis has been hampering Scherzer since his second start, and it’s showed.
The 41-year-old had been roughed up so far this season to the tune of a 9.64 ERA in his five starts. In his last four starts, in fact, in 12.2 innings, he has surrendered a whopping 19 earned runs, with six homers allowed, seven walks and only six strikeouts.
“I could just tell I wasn’t right. [Pitching coach] Pete [Walker] was right there, and we both saw it,” Scherzer said, per mlb.com. “We just didn’t feel I was in a good enough spot to go forward. Based on the calendar, here in April, it’s early in the season and this is just a point in time where I can get right.”
Scherzer hits IL with two historical feats in reach
The IL stint will leave him hanging for a while in his pursuit of two landmark numbers. Scherzer was one strikeout away from 3,500 in his career, and just 11 away from passing Walter Johnson for 10th on the all-time strikeout list.
And so, just when the battered and bruised Blue Jays rotation is getting back one of its walking wounded, in Trey Yesavage, another one heads to the infirmary. Scherzer joins Cody Ponce (out for the year), Jose Berrios (close to a return), and Shane Bieber (still ramping up slowly, recovering from elbow and forearm issues) out of the lineup.
The Jays have recalled right-hander Chase Lee from Triple-A Buffalo to take Mad Max’s spot on the roster. Lee has an impressive 1.32 ERA in 13 innings out of the bullpen with the Bisons, but has a bit of a control problem. The 27-year-old had issued 9 walks against 12 strikeouts. That leaves him with a 1.42 WHIP.
Lee is in his first year in the Jays’ organization, after making his major league debut with the Detroit Tigers last season. He posted a 4.10 ERA in 37 innings in Detroit last season.
Last year’s rookie phenom, Yesavage, will make his long-awaited season debut Tuesday night after completing his rehab assignment. He had been out with a right shoulder impingement since Spring Training.
