Scherzer pitched through finger injury in 2016

Shortly after it was revealed that Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer would forego his opportunity to pitch in the World Baseball Classic due to a stress fracture in his finger, he released a statement saying this isn't a new injury.

Related: Scherzer won't pitch in WBC due to stress fracture in finger

Scherzer said the injury in his right ring finger first occurred late in the season, but because it didn't affect his pitching, coupled with not knowing the severity of it, he pitched through the pain.

"In late August I experienced discomfort in my right ring finger and received a finger sprain diagnosis," Scherzer said via Twitter. "Since I was pain free during my starts and my performance and velocity were unaffected, I continued to pitch.

"The medical staff and I both agreed this likely wouldn't resolve itself until the offseason when I could rest. By December my symptoms had not dissipated and that's when a second (sic) MRI revealed a stress fracture in the knuckle of my right ring finger."

Scherzer made six starts following his appearance on Aug. 30. Injured or not, he went a perfect 6-0 to close out the year, owning a 3.29 ERA over 38 1/3 innings of work during that span.

Still, Scherzer won't take a chance on jeopardizing his 2017 season.

"I am no longer in a position to compete in the World Baseball Classic," Scherzer said. "I am disappointed that I will not get to reunite with Jim Leyland and Jeff Jones, but I'm excited to see how Team USA performs this spring."