ST. PETERSBURG -- Max Scherzer has been on the injured list since April 27 due to left ankle inflammation and right forearm tendinitis.
Nine days later, the good news is that Scherzer’s ankle feels good. The bad news is that his forearm doesn’t feel as good as his ankle.
The 41-year-old right-hander told reporters on Wednesday that his forearm is not allowing him to ramp up as he would like. He played catch at Tropicana Field earlier in the day as well as on Monday, but before he does any other kind of activity, he plans to talk to doctors about possible next steps. Manager John Schneider said prior to the day’s game against the Rays that the team would know more in a couple of days.
“It's kind of been day to day on how he's feeling,” Schneider said. “Monday was OK. Today was OK. I think he's just waiting [for his arm] to feel like his ankle does to really kind of start going.”
Scherzer, who re-signed with the Blue Jays during Spring Training, has made five starts this season and has a 9.64 ERA with 10 strikeouts and eight walks across 18 2/3 innings. He was pulled early from his April 6 start against the Dodgers due to forearm tendinitis, but he made his next scheduled start and two more turns after that before landing on the IL.
Now in his 19th MLB season, Scherzer is one strikeout away from 3,500 career K’s.