Scherzer placed on IL with forearm tendinitis, ankle inflammation

TORONTO -- The Blue Jays placed Max Scherzer on the 15-day IL with right forearm tendinitis and left ankle inflammation on Monday, yet another blow to a rotation that has nearly as many injured pitchers as healthy ones.

Scherzer has been dealing with this forearm tendinitis since his second start of the season, which was cut surprisingly short in what was termed a preventative measure.

In the four starts since then, here’s Scherzer’s line:
12.2 IP
19 ER
6 HR
7 BB
6 K

Even after his most recent outing, against the Guardians -- another tough one for Scherzer -- he insisted that his forearm was not to blame for the poor results.

Surprisingly, it’s the ankle issue that was causing Scherzer the most trouble in his last outing. Watching the game film, Scherzer noticed himself altering his mechanics throughout his deliveries to work around that issue on his landing foot. Scherzer knows how quickly problems can pile up when a pitcher tries to adjust their body around one injury, so he’s on board with the doctors’ plans to shut him down in the short term.

“I could just tell I wasn’t right. [Pitching coach] Pete [Walker] was right there and we both saw it,” Scherzer said. “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 called this a “double whammy.” One issue, he thinks he could pitch through, but two at the same time? That’s a dangerous game this early in the season.

The issues Scherzer has had with his ankle and foot weren’t nearly as public as his forearm, but they’ve been just as challenging. His hope is that both can recover on the same timeline now. No further MRIs are needed, and Scherzer says there is no need right now for anti-inflammatory shots, just plain old rest and rehab.

“I was so worried about my forearm after that Minnesota start, so I woke up the next day worried about my forearm and my forearm checked out. My forearm was good, but I stepped out of bed and almost fell over,” Scherzer said, “because my foot was killing me. I’ve been aggressively trying to get my foot back underneath me."

This creates yet another hole in the Blue Jays’ rotation, but they’re used to this game by now. Cody Ponce is likely done for the year after undergoing ACL surgery, Shane Bieber is still ramping up slowly after dealing with elbow and forearm issues and Bowden Francis underwent Tommy John surgery earlier this year. Trey Yesavage is finally on track to return Tuesday for his 2026 debut and José Berríos will come soon after, but the Blue Jays seem to be stuck in this constant cycle, trying to keep their collective head above water.

Berríos will still make his scheduled Triple-A rehab start on Tuesday to build up his workload just a bit more, so this turn through the rotation could even open the door for Eric Lauer to slide back in for a start, or at least operate as the “bulk” arm in a bullpen day. Lauer was recently bumped from the rotation for Yesavage’s return.

Amid all of this, Patrick Corbin has become one of the most important pitchers on the roster, already worth every single penny of the one-year, $1 million deal the Blue Jays handed him in early April. The veteran left-hander has been exactly what this rotation’s needed, which is a stabilizing force amid all the chaos.

Down in Triple-A Buffalo, the Blue Jays have bulk options in Chad Dallas, CJ Van Eyk and Adam Macko, but their organizational pitching depth has already been stretched thinner than anyone expected in 2026 and we’re barely one month into the season.

Scherzer hits the IL sitting just one strikeout shy of 3,500. Only 10 other pitchers in Major League history have hit that milestone.