Blue Jays' Scherzer set for rehab start at Triple-A
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Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer is set to make a rehab start at Triple-A Buffalo on Friday as the right-hander nears a return from the 60-day injured list.
Scherzer, 40, has been out for the Blue Jays since the season-opening series with right thumb inflammation.
The three-time Cy Young winner pitched just three innings in his lone start for Toronto on March 29 against the Baltimore Orioles. He surrendered two earned runs on three hits before being lifted from the game with soreness in his right lat muscle, which he later attributed to the thumb issue.
An eight-time All-Star, Scherzer has since received multiple cortisone shots in his thumb to alleviate the inflammation. He also had a start in spring training pushed back while dealing with thumb pain.
This now marks the second consecutive year that Scherzer has missed significant time with injuries after he made just nine starts for the Texas Rangers in 2024.
He missed the start of the season while recovering from lower back surgery to repair a herniated disc suffered in the 2023 postseason, before hitting the IL once again with shoulder fatigue in August. He would return for two more starts in September before a hamstring ailment ended his season with eight games remaining in the Rangers' schedule.
Scherzer signed a one-year, $15 million contract with the Blue Jays this past winter.
Drafted with the 11th overall pick in 2006, the 18-year veteran has compiled 216 wins, 3,408 strikeouts and a 3.16 ERA across 18 years in the big leagues spent with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, Rangers, and Blue Jays.