It remains to be seen when Max Scherzer will return to the Toronto Blue Jays’ starting rotation. But the team did provide an update regarding his status prior to Tuesday’s contest against the Washington Nationals.

Scherzer, placed on the 15-day injured list due to right thumb inflammation on Sunday, received a cortisone injection in that same thumb upon returning from Monday’s visit with a hand specialist in New York, per manager John Schneider, as relayed by MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson.

The 40-year-old starter remains without a timeline to resume throwing as he waits for the swelling and inflammation in his thumb to subside. The club plans to continue monitoring his status daily and will determine his next steps based on how he responds to his recent treatment.

Scherzer avoided a season-opening IL stint despite battling a right thumb injury all spring, which led to him being scratched from one of his Grapefruit League starts late in camp. While he made his Blue Jays debut last Saturday against the Baltimore Orioles, it was cut short after three innings due to right lat soreness caused by the nerve issue in his thumb.

The future Hall-of-Fame starter said post-game that he felt something was off while warming up in the bullpen and told pitching coach Pete Walker they would need to monitor the issue throughout the contest. It ultimately forced him to depart following the third inning, with the right-hander fearing he would risk significant damage if he kept pushing through.

Left-hander Easton Lucas was recalled from triple-A Buffalo ahead of Sunday’s series finale versus Baltimore and is tentatively scheduled to start Wednesday against Washington, likely pushing Kevin Gausman’s next start to Friday in New York during the Mets’ home opener.

But those plans remain fluid, according to Schneider. If José Berríos exits early on Tuesday, Lucas would be an option to provide length out of the bullpen, preserving Yariel Rodríguez as more of a medium-to-high-leverage relief arm.