Blue Jays reliever Pop shut down with elbow discomfort; Scherzer to throw off mound
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The Toronto Blue Jays received updates on injury concerns with a pair of pitchers on Thursday.
Reliever Zach Pop has been shut down for seven-to-10 days due to elbow discomfort, while Max Scherzer will throw off a mound to test out his injured thumb, per MLB.com's Keegan Matheson.
Blue Jays bullpen question marks
Pop has been experiencing elbow discomfort in his throwing arm, but an MRI revealed inflammation with no structural damage.
Pop, of Brampton, Ont., struggled for the Blue Jays in 58 games a season ago, holding a 5.59 earned-run average with a 2-4 record.
The 28-year-old will likely be forced to open the season on the injured list with Opening Day scheduled for March 27.
That means he is likely to join fellow righty Erik Swanson, who is already expected to miss time at the start of the season with ongoing elbow discomfort problems.
He visited orthopedic surgeon Keith Meister on March 13 to have testing done, but imaging revealed a "median nerve entrapment" in his throwing elbow, which was treated with a cortisone shot.
Scherzer aiming for weekend start for Blue Jays
Scherzer, who has been dealing with a thumb problem in camp for the Blue Jays and had his most recent scheduled start on Thursday, March 13 pushed back, will throw off a mount to try to work towards a weekend start.
Matheson notes that if the weekend start goes well, there is still a chance Scherzer is ready to pitch when the season begins, but his recovery will be crucial.
Scherzer, 40, is a future Hall of Famer and has three Cy Young awards in his career, along with two World Series titles.
“My thumb hurts. It hurts to grip the ball," Scherzer said earlier in March. "The critical thing I’ve learned over the years here is that your thumb is absolutely critical to your arm health. Unfortunately, this is what I’ve been dealing with since 2023."
Scherzer made only nine starts for the Texas Rangers a season ago, and has pitched in more than 27 games in a season just once since 2019.