Scherzer won't throw off mound until he's pain-free

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Until Max Scherzer can throw pain-free, he won't be throwing off a mound.

The Nationals right-hander is slowly progressing in his recovery from a hairline facture of the knuckle on the ring finger of his throwing hand. So far in camp, he's been limited to long tossing on flat ground and participating in pitchers fielding practice to maintain his agility.

Yesterday, he took part in a fielding drill that required him to throw toward the plate. But instead of whizzing a ball toward the catcher, he lobbed it in - and off-target, at that.

"I'm just trying to get my arm progressing in a throwing program," Scherzer said Monday morning. "Trying to shortcut this as much as possible. I still experience symptoms in the ring finger. Just find a way to heal this as fast as possible."

Scherzer is able to grip his fastball with three fingers without any discomfort - using all but the ring finger - but that's not good enough or him to trust on a mound.

"I can throw a three-finger fastball pain-free," he said. "But that's something I don't want to get off the mound with. It's something I can play long toss with, do everything normal with - holding that grip. But that's something I don't want to get on the mound and pitch with. I've got to be able to get my fastball grip, my normal fastball grip, before I can get back on the mound."

Sherzer said Thursday that he couldn't put a timetable on his recovery, which puts the defending National League Cy Young winner's presumed opening day start on April 3 against the Marlins in jeopardy.

To keep his arm in shape this winter, Scherzer threw tennis balls and lacrosse balls. He first noticed the knuckle problem in August while pitching against the Orioles, but it was originally classified as tendinitis, then a strain and then a sprain. Only after pain persisted through the offseason did further diagnostic tests reveal a hairline fracture that has been slow to heal.

The injury forced Scherzer to pull out of a commitment to pitch for his former Tigers manager, Jim Leyland, who will skipper Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.

The most recent MRI last week showed the joint was structurally sound, but the presence of pain when he grips and throws a baseball continues to trouble Scherzer.

"I'm more frustrated that it isn't going away. ... I just want this thing to heal," he said.