Max Scherzer DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Max Scherzer (thumb) completed another bullpen session on Wednesday. Blue Jays manager John Schneider noted that the session went "fairly well." Fantasy managers should continue to monitor the 40-year-old's progression. However, seeing that he has completed two bullpen sessions without facing any setbacks is a positive sign. Scherzer hit the 15-day injured list following his season debut. In this outing against the Baltimore Orioles, the right-hander was removed from the contest after just three innings of work. If he is able to continue to increase his workload, he could be cleared to begin a rehab assignment in the coming weeks. Last summer, Scherzer battled injuries as well but was effective when on the bump, holding a 3.95 ERA with a 1.15 WHIP. He remains a solid stash in deeper formats for the time being.

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Max Scherzer (thumb) completed a 27-pitch bullpen session on Friday. Toronto manager John Schneider noted that it was a "step in the right direction" for the veteran right-hander. Scherzer has been sidelined with this injury after making his season debut on March 29. In this outing, Scherzer lasted just three innings before exiting the contest. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status, but it appears Scherzer will need to complete several more bullpen sessions before being cleared to embark on a rehab assignment. Last season, the 40-year-old was limited to numerous injuries and logged just 43 1/3 innings on the bump. Even though he has battled injuries over the past few seasons, when on the mound, he has been effective. Fantasy managers in deeper formats should continue to stash Scherzer while he slowly increases his workload.

Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Max Scherzer (thumb) threw 27 pitches off the mound on Friday in what manager John Schneider called a "step in the right direction." There's still no timetable for when Scherzer might be able to return to Toronto's starting rotation, but it's good news overall after he's had multiple setbacks with his right thumb. The 40-year-old three-time Cy Young winner and eight-time All-Star made just one start before landing on the injured list with his thumb injury, and he required multiple injections in order to deal with the discomfort. Hopefully now he'll eventually be able to build up his arm and go on a minor-league rehab assignment in the near future. The future Hall of Famer can still be valuable in fantasy, but injuries have become a major problem in the last several seasons. In his lone start against the Orioles on March 29, he allowed two earned runs in just three innings of work.