Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer pursues an unconventional method to cure thumb issues

When the Toronto Blue Jays re-signed three-time Cy Young award winner Max Scherzer this past offseason, many fans were on board to bring back one of the members of the great camaraderie they had that fueled their winning success last year. However, there was one area of concern that still lingered in the minds of Toronto fans. Has Scherzer successfully overcome his thumb injury issues that nearly sabotaged the Blue Jays’ 2025 season?

Scherzer ended up missing almost the entire first half of the season because of it, which also led to some inconsistent starts near the beginning of the latter half following his return from the IL as well.
However, the Blue Jays and their fans probably won't need to worry too much anymore about Scherzer’s potential ailment. That is because the Blue Jays star pitcher has pursued an unconventional method to cure his thumb issues. A method that involved the 42-year-old in becoming a musician.

Max Scherzer becomes a musician to help with nagging thumb issues

In an interview with Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Scherzer revealed that playing the piano was the secret behind resolving his thumb problems.

“When you’re playing different keys and notes and chords, your hands are in very unique positions. It makes you really work through your fingertips,” Scherzer said. “By working those muscles in my hand, it got my fingers quote-unquote stronger. All of a sudden, that alleviated the thumb pain.”

Scherzer had started picking up piano around the All-Star Break last season. His main intention at the time was to teach his kids how to play as he often fiddled around with his fingers on the piano keys. However, in doing so, he noticed his thumb feeling better the next time he took the mound. As a result, Scherzer would start turning to the piano as a potential remedy, as he would no longer feel the pain after having some fun with the keys. No wonder he looked a lot stronger as the year progressed, especially when it got to the playoffs when he appeared to turn back the clock with elite performances on the mound during the postseason.

Not only has it saved his MLB career for now, but it has enabled Scherzer to become a vital part of the Blue Jays rotation this season. After all, the Blue Jays suffered an unfortunate slew of injuries to their starting pitching prior to the start of the 2026 regular season as all of Shane Bieber, Trey Yesavage and José Berríos all found themselves on the sidelines.

With that, what appeared to be just a depth insurance signing for the rotation could now be the most important signing that the Blue Jays made this offseason. As with a healthy Scherzer to deploy throughout 2026, he could be the key factor to the Jays success in returning to the World Series when all is said and done. That quest begins on Tuesday for Scherzer as he makes his season debut for the Jays against the Colorado Rockies.