The perhaps unexpected answer is a definite *yes* even though everyone has heard about the virtues of non-contact laser playback. There are several ways that a broken or poorly designed or manufactured player can result in scratched discs:

If the lens moves too high while attempting to focus and the mechanical stop does not prevent it from hitting the disc, scratches can occur. On some players, the objective lens can easily go this high if focus is not found on the first pass. Note that in most cases, the lens will not suffer since it is protected by a raised ridge which is what actually scratches the disc.

Mechanical misalignment of the spindle motor or plastic cabinet parts can result in the disc touching the bottom or top of the disc compartment and this can leave scratches. This could be the result of poor or cheap design, shoddy manufacturing, or damage from a fall or other abuse.

If the control logic gets confused, it may allow you to eject a disc while it is still spinning and not fully supported by the spindle platter. A dirty disc that resulted in failure of the CLV servo to lock can result in a disc speed runaway condition with some players. If the drawer is then opened too soon, the disc will still be spinning because the controller has no way of knowing its present status and will not have provided enough reverse torque to stop the spindle motor - or too much and it will be spinning in reverse.