The Toronto Blue Jays have spent much of the first two months of the season trying to hold together a pitching staff hit hard by injuries. Multiple starters have missed time already, forcing Toronto to depend heavily on its depth. One of the biggest absences has been veteran right-hander Max Scherzer.
Scherzer’s season was interrupted on April 24 after he exited a start against the Cleveland Guardians following just 2 1/3 innings. The Blue Jays later revealed he was dealing with right forearm tendinitis, an issue the club had already been monitoring before the outing. He was eventually placed on the injured list on April 27 and has been progressing in his recovery.
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Getting Scherzer back would be important for the Blue Jays despite his uneven start to the season. Through five starts, the 41-year-old has posted a 9.64 ERA. But Scherzer remains the club’s most experienced and accomplished pitcher, with three Cy Young Awards, 222 wins and 3,499 strikeouts across 19 MLB seasons.
Ahead of Toronto’s series against the Miami Marlins, manager John Schneider announced that Scherzer will throw a live batting practice session Wednesday in Toronto, marking another significant step in his rehab progression (h/t Ben Nicholson of Sportsnet).
Injuries limited the future Hall of Famer in 2025 as well, but he still delivered several major postseason performances during Toronto’s run to the World Series. He earned a key American League Championship Series victory against the Seattle Mariners and later started Game 7 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, allowing just one run across 4 1/3 innings.
Toronto valued his production enough to bring him back this offseason on a one-year, $3 million contract that includes incentives worth up to another $10 million.
Now, the Blue Jays are hoping Scherzer’s latest rehab step moves him closer to rejoining a rotation that badly needs reinforcement.
