Blue Jays provide disheartening updates on Max Scherzer and Jake Bloss

Tuesday was a tough day for both the present and future of the Blue Jays' pitching staff.

The team announced updates on both prospect Jake Bloss and veteran Max Scherzer, and neither one of them were great.

Earlier this week, Blue Jays pitching prospect Jake Bloss left his start on Triple-A due to a right elbow injury. On Tuesday, the team confirmed that Bloss' injury is the worst possible outcome. He'll undergo UCL surgery on his right elbow, per an update from The Athletic's Mitch Bannon

While the exact surgery is unkown, it will be done by Dr. Keither Meister, who is one of baseball leading Tommy John surgeons.

Althought Scherzer's update didn't carry the same magnitude of Bloss', it's still significant for a team that doesn't have much pitching depth right now.

While he threw a bullpen for the Blue Jays while the team was in Anaheim last week, he didn't throw his scheduled bullpen on Tuesday due to back tightness, per another update from Bannon. The team said that the Blue Jays are still hopeful that Scherzer will be able to throw this week, however.

The Blue Jays got some tough news regarding Jake Bloss and Max Scherzer

While neither update is great, Bloss' is particularly bad. The Blue Jays acquired him at last year's trade deadline from the Astros in the hope that he could be an impact arm this year, but now it looks like he won't be able to make his MLB debut for the club until late 2026 at the earliest.

He has a 6.46 ERA in 23 2/3 innings with Buffalo this year, but seemed to be turning things around, as Bannon reported last week that he had made some key tweaks to his delivery that the team was feeling good about.

Bloss has a 6.91 ERA in 27 1/3 innings for Triple-A Buffalo last year after being acquired at the deadline, and he appeared in two MLB games with the Astros, where he allowed nine runs in 11 2/3 innings.

As for Scherzer, this is just another speed bump in what's been a season full of them for the 40-year-old. He only managed to go three innings in his season debut before he had to leave due to a thumb injury that flared up in spring training, and he's been on the injured list since.

Scherzer's had to receive two cortisone shots in his thumb this season to help with the injury, but this newest injury deals with his back, which is a bit concerning.

His back has been an issue at earlier points in his career (he missed the first half of last season after undergoing back surgery in the offseason), so it's a bit concerning to see this pop up on the injury report.

That said, there doesn't seem to be as much concern there compared to his thumb injury, so it might not be worth panicking about just yet.

He's also not eligible to come off the injured list until the end of May, so there isn't a huge need to rush his rehab at this juncture.

Blue Jays staters enter today with a 4.49 ERA as a unit, so it's clear that they need help — it just won't be coming from Bloss or Scherzer.