Max Scherzer holds Phillies to two runs on Saturday

Scherzer struck out five and walked one, throwing 69 percent of his pitches for strikes and posting an 11 percent swinging-strike rate. The 42-year-old averaged 93.3 mph on his four-seam fastball and missed plenty of bats with his slider. This Cardinals offense has been reeling, so we don’t want to put too much stock in this, but it was a nice start for Scherzer, who has lowered his season ERA to 7.92 in 30 2/3 innings. He’ll face the Phillies, Red Sox, and Rays in his next three starts and should probably be left on waiver wires.

Scherzer allowed four hits, walked three and struck out four. He threw 75 pitches, which was likely his limit in his first start since June 10 due to back and thumb injuries. Scherzer was somewhat effective with four strikeouts and only one run allowed, but he couldn’t make it out of the third inning. The future Hall-of-Famer turned 42 on Monday. He’s lined up to face the Cardinals at home on Sunday, but not a recommended fantasy option at this stage of his career.

Scherzer returns to start Monday’s series opener against his former club in Washington D.C. It’ll be his first start since June 10. The 42-year-old future Hall of Famer has faded from fantasy relevance this season, posting a bloated 10.23 ERA, 1.73 WHIP and 14/11 K/BB ratio across 22 innings. He’s been limited to just six starts due to an avalanche of physical issues. Still, he’s probably capable of helping fantasy managers in extremely deep mixed leagues, if the stars align from a physical standpoint over the final two months. However, those are long odds.

The original plan was for Scherzer to make another rehab start, but he lobbied to return early. With Scherzer back, Spencer Miles will head to the pen for now, though that could be temporary. Scherzer doesn’t seem like a mixed-league option at this point.

Scherzer threw a bullpen session Friday. He pitched five scoreless innings for Triple-A Buffalo on Tuesday, but since that took him only 56 pitches, the thinking was that he’d make one more rehab start. If he’s activated, it would likely be to face the Nationals on Monday. Spencer Miles would be put back in middle relief, but that might be very temporary with the Blue Jays seemingly in line to sell at the deadline.

Scherzer struck out seven and walked zero while throwing 56 total pitches. It was an effective start for the 41-year-old, who has battled multiple injuries this season. He will likely need at least one more rehab start before being activated, but it’s possible the Blue Jays could trade him away for a lottery ticket prospect at the trade deadline.

It’ll be Scherzer’s first game action since receiving three cortisone injections in his thumb during last week’s All-Star break. The 41-year-old future Hall of Famer is hoping to return to Toronto’s rotation at some point in the second half, but it’s going to take several rehab outings before he’s ready. He’s been limited to just 22 innings across six starts this season due to physical issues. He’s pretty much a non-factor for fantasy purposes at the moment.

The Blue Jays are hopeful that Scherzer hasn’t lost most of his buildup from before suffering a setback with his injured thumb and that he’ll be able to resume his minor league rehab assignment soon. He’s still not expected to be ready to join the club’s rotation until August.

While Schneider didn’t specifically call it a setback, he called it a “pause” in Scherzer’s rehab and noted that he’ll resume throwing soon. It’s not an ideal situation as it’s going to be several weeks at a minimum before Scherzer may be ready to return. The 41-year-old hurler has been limited to just six starts and 22 innings overall on the season.

Scherzer gave up six hits, including a three-run homer, and finished with five strikeouts during the 72-pitch outing. He was sitting in the 92-94 mph range with his fastball and topped out at 94.4 mph. He’s attempting to return to Toronto’s rotation following next week’s All-Star break after hitting the shelf with a back issue in mid-June. He’s also missed time with forearm tendinitis and ankle inflammation this season.