The Blue Jays announced that right-hander Max Scherzer placed on the 15-day injured list with back spasms, retroactive to June 14th. Friend is right Chad Dallas remembered in the parallel movement.
It has been a challenging season for the 41-year-old player. He spent nearly six weeks on IL from late April to early June, due to tendonitis in his right arm and inflammation in his left ankle. He came out of IL and made one start. He was supposed to do another one tonight but now this back issue has sent him to IL again.
In terms of injuries, the results have been minimal, to put it modestly. The future Hall-of-Famer scored six runs but only went 22 innings, allowing 25 earned runs in the process. His 10.8% walk rate in that span is above average and a career-worst, while his 13.7% strikeout rate is just shy of average and a career-worst.
It is not clear how serious the problem is but it is thought to be minor. As he takes some time to try to get his body back in shape, the Jays will have to continue dealing with injuries in the rotation as well. They have been spinning the plates with their starting lineup all season. As mentioned, this is Scherzer’s second IL stint. Dylan Cease again Trey Yesavage they also spent some time in IL. José Berríos, Bowden Francis again Cody Ponce are made annually.
Because of all these absences, the Jays have been running regular bullpen games. They appeared to reach a healthy five-man team last week when both Cease and Scherzer left IL to join. Kevin Gausman, Patrick Corbin and Yesavage. Now they are short-handed again. The liberator Braydon Fisher will start tonight’s game as the starter, per Mitch Bannon of The Athletic. Dallas could get more innings in a big role, though Simeon Woods Richardson again Spencer Miles can also be opportunities.
A permanent solution may be ready to work. Shane Bieber been in rehab lately, been on IL for a year so far due to elbow inflammation. He made his fifth rehab start this afternoon for Triple-A Buffalo, throwing 80 pitches in five innings. The results weren’t great, as he allowed four walks and five earned runs, but the Jays may plug him into the big league rotation in the future as long as he responds well in the coming days.
Photo courtesy of Kevin Sousa, Imagn Images
