TORONTO -- In the bullpen before his Blue Jays debut, Max Scherzer felt that something wasn’t right.

He gave manager John Schneider a heads-up before the game, asking that they work with him as he tried to pitch through this, but after three innings and 45 pitches, Scherzer’s debut came to a sudden end with right lat soreness. And he was subsequently placed on the 15-day injured list on Sunday morning with right thumb inflammation that changed his throwing motion and led to the lat issue.

“I just didn’t feel like I could really let the ball go. I had to back down the effort level,” Scherzer said after Saturday’s 9-5 loss to the Orioles at Rogers Centre. “I was able to at least get through three and not blow up the bullpen, but after that third inning, I could just tell that we were in imminent danger. If you keep pitching through this as the arm fatigues, this is going to go.”

Making this more worrying is that this issue is directly tied to the recurring thumb problem Scherzer experienced in Spring Training. His frustration was clear even then, after he’d spent the offseason working on improving his grip strength and thumb strength, only to end up in the same place.

“This is 100% related to the thumb,” Scherzer said. “My shoulder, everything is compensating because of that thumb. The thumb is slightly better, but I still have discomfort in there. Even though I was able to grip the ball a little bit better today, I still have discomfort in my thumb. My arm is making adjustments because of that. That’s a recipe for disaster.”

All of this language -- from “imminent danger” to “recipe for disaster” -- is jarring on March 29. The Blue Jays knew they were taking on a certain level of risk with the 40-year-old Scherzer, but this has already gone down a troubling path.

Scherzer was visibly unhappy in the dugout after speaking with pitching coach Pete Walker and Chris Bassitt, whom he’s close with. Even two hours later, speaking in front of the cameras, the edge was still in his voice. This is a likely future Hall of Famer known for his drive as much as his talent. They don’t call him “Mad Max” because he’s easygoing.

“I’m frustrated. I want to pitch. I know I can pitch,” Scherzer said. “I know I can throw the ball really well. Unfortunately, I have an issue going on that’s coming from the thumb. I’ve got to address this. I’ve got to zero out that thumb before I pitch again.”

The fallout was clear and immediate. Reliever Richard Lovelady allowed four runs, Jacob Barnes gave up another two and the Blue Jays handed a ballgame to the Orioles. The long-term implications are more concerning, though, and as Toronto evaluates Scherzer in the coming days, it'll need to come up with a dozen plans.

Impact on: The rotation
This immediately puts the Blue Jays in an uncomfortable spot, with Scherzer now scheduled to miss an extended period of time.

Yariel Rodríguez is in the bullpen now, but he spent most of spring stretched out as a starter and got to feel out that role in 2024. Getting Rodríguez back into that role would likely require pairing him with a piggyback reliever, though, and you also run the risk of having Rodríguez yo-yo between roles. Think of Bowden Francis, who has only thrived since getting some certainty in the rotation.

Otherwise, Toronto has Eric Lauer and No. 6 prospect Jake Bloss in Triple-A, with Bloss already owning a spot on the 40-man roster. Alek Manoah (Tommy John rehab) is throwing off a mound, but he won’t be ready to return until July at the very earliest.

Impact on: The bullpen
Another factor to consider with Rodríguez: Sliding him into the rotation at this point would only create a bigger hole in the bullpen.

Saturday was the perfect storm of what can go wrong for the Blue Jays’ pitching. With Erik Swanson and Ryan Burr already on the IL, this group is already getting dangerously close to some waiver-wire churn … and it’s not even April yet.

Regardless of how Scherzer’s rotation spot shakes out, it’s clear this bullpen needs a reliever capable of pitching bulk innings, whether that’s ultimately Rodríguez or someone who replaces him. After Thursday's off-day, the Blue Jays play 13 games in 13 days beginning with a three-city, 10-game road trip.