Max Scherzer will make one final spring training start to determine if he will be healthy enough to break camp with the Toronto Blue Jays.
The future Hall of Famer will face the Minnesota Twins on Saturday afternoon to test out his injured thumb against major league players.
The goal is to throw 60-65 pitches against the Twins before making a final determination on how he’s feeling on Sunday.
Scherzer has been dealing with the thumb injury for over a week and has been managing it carefully to avoid straining other parts of his throwing arm.
The 40-year-old has pitched in a minor league setting but hasn’t started a spring training game since March 8.
“My thumb hurts,” he said earlier this week. “It just hurts to grip the ball. But the more critical thing here is what I’ve learned over the years is that your thumb is absolutely critical to your arm health.”
The Blue Jays will close the spring training schedule on Sunday against the Pirates. Chris Bassitt will start that game while Kevin Gausman will get a final outing in pitching against minor leaguers.
