The Toronto Blue Jays are without both Andres Gimenez and Max Scherzer at the moment, two key players on both sides of the ball.
Gimenez suffered a quad strain this week, but the Blue Jays are playing it safe with him, and he likely won't be back until at least May 18 as they put the infielder on the 10-day IL, as reported by Mitch Bannon. Scherzer, meanwhile, who left his first start of the season with an injury, is set to throw again in the next week or so.
Gimenez left Wednesday's game against the Los Angeles Angels early. He's been a fantastic defensive player for the Blue Jays, but he's struggled offensively. The former Cleveland Guardian is batting just .195 with a .577 OPS. Michael Stefanic was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo to replace Gimenez, and he'll give Toronto more firepower at the dish. Stefanic is hitting .315 for the Bisons this season.
When it comes to Scherzer, he faced live hitters on Tuesday for the first time since his debut. The 40-year-old has a thumb injury and has had to get two cortisone shots already to help with the pain. Manager John Schneider was happy with what he saw from Scherzer:
Article Continues Below“Good, really good,” Schneider said after Scherzer’s session off the game mound at Angel Stadium, via MLB.com. “Twenty pitches after he threw in the ’pen. And then I thought standing back there, his stuff was really good. … So that’s a really good step in the right direction.”
Scherzer was solid in spring training, posting a 1.38 ERA. He signed a one-year deal with the Blue Jays this past winter and was seen as a fantastic addition to this staff. They could certainly use his presence, considering Toronto ranks 23rd in the big leagues with a 4.38 ERA.
The Jays are in third place in the AL East with a 17-20 record.