The Toronto Blue Jays placed Max Scherzer on the injury list on March 30 after the veteran pitcher experienced inflammation in his right thumb. On Monday, the club received some good news about Scherzer's progress, however, his return shouldn't be expected anytime soon.

Scherzer claimed his thumb felt “OK” after throwing from flat ground in Texas, according to Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet. The 40-year-old pitcher sounded rather optimistic about his thumb but did admit that he is “not out of the woods” just yet. The Blue Jays will likely continue to monitor his status in the coming weeks.

“Max Scherzer says his right thumb felt ‘OK for day one' and ‘the best it's felt for a while now' while throwing from flat ground in Texas today. Scherzer had a second cortisone shot in his thumb on Thursday, which targeted a different joint than the first one.

“Scherzer says he's hopeful he's in a good spot to begin ramping back up. But that will depend on how his thumb responds in the coming days and weeks: ‘I'm not out of the woods on this. … There’s still a very long road in front of me to get back.'”

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With Max Scherzer out of the rotation, the Blue Jays are still in the mix of the AL East. The team owns a 12-10 record and is just two games behind the first-placed New York Yankees. Considering it's still a long season ahead, Toronto likely won't rush the three-time Cy Young Award winner back to the mound.

Scherzer played in just one game for the Blue Jays before being placed on the injury list. He only threw for three innings before being pulled in Toronto's 9-5 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on March 29. Max Scherzer recorded a 6.00 ERA and 1.00 WHIP with just one strikeout in that contest.

The veteran pitcher is regarded as one of the most successful in league history. Injuries have hindered his career, but when healthy, Scherzer is one of the best on the mound in MLB. Heading into his 17th season, Max Scherzer owns a career 3.16 ERA and 1.078 WHIP while recording 3,408 strikeouts through 2,881 innings pitched.