Max

Scherzer

Scherzer was not sharp at all in his return from the injured list. Bryce Harper wasted little time welcoming him back with a first inning home run and Alec Bohm hit a three-run shot in the third. Scherzer was missing plenty of bats with 13 whiffs, but these same home run issues that have plagued the twilight of his career remain. He’ll take a rough 10.23 ERA and 13 to 12 strikeout to walk ratio over 22 innings into his next scheduled start against the Red Sox at Fenway Park.

Scherzer returns to take the ball for Wednesday’s series finale against the Phillies at the Rogers Centre following a six-week absence recovering from a forearm strain. The 41-year-old future Hall of Famer’s durability remains his biggest obstacle to sustained fantasy value at this stage of his career, but he’s been an effective starter, when healthy. A wait-and-see approach seems like the best route given his struggles in five early-season starts, but he’ll offer some streaming appeal if he’s feeling right from a physical standpoint again.

Schneider also added that Max Scherzer (forearm) will be activated to start Wednesday’s series finale at the Rogers Centre with Trey Yesavage being pushed back to Friday’s showdown against the Yankees. The influx of veteran reinforcements also pushes rookie standout Spencer Miles back to a long relief role. It’s a stunning turn of events that Toronto has a legitimate five-man rotation again after piecing things together for most of the last two months. Cease threw 75 pitches in his final rehab outing and shouldn’t have any limitations in his return from the injured list.

Scherzer threw 3 2/3 innings in a minor league rehab start at Triple-A Buffalo on Friday and completed a bullpen session on Sunday morning without any issues. With Scherzer and Dylan Cease both likely to return to the rotation during the upcoming week, the Jays will have some decisions to make on how to structure their rotation going forward.

Scherzer struck out five and averaged a solid 93.4 mph on his four-seam fastball in his latest rehab start. He allowed five hits, including one homer, during this outing on an 86-degree evening at Triple-A Worcester’s hitter-friendly Polar Park. The 41-year-old veteran increased his pitch count to 73 (44 strikes) and should be ready to jump back into Toronto’s rotation next week. He’s been working his way back from a forearm issue since late April.

Scherzer will need at least one additional rehab outing to continue building up his pitch count and stamina. The 41-year-old future Hall of Famer has been on the shelf recovering from a forearm issue since late April. He should be ready to jump back into Toronto’s lineup sometime around mid-June.

The veteran struck out four and walked two, while throwing 24 of his 41 pitches for strikes. Scherzer also sat 93.3 mph on his four-seam fastball, which is right in line with where he’s been when healthy the last few seasons. His slider got four whiffs on six swings, and was his best swing and miss pitch on the day. Overall, it was a pretty solid outing for Scherzer, who has been out since late April.

It’ll be the first rehab start for Scherzer since landing on the injured list at the end of April. He’s expected to throw between 45 and 60 pitches during that outing. If all goes well, he’ll make another rehab start the following week before potentially rejoining the Jays’ rotation. Blue Jays’ skipper John Schneider cautioned that they’re “taking it one start at a time” though.

It’ll be Scherzer’s first time facing hitters since landing on the shelf with forearm and ankle issues back in late April. The 41-year-old veteran will need a couple rehab outings to build up his pitch count before he’s ready to rejoin Toronto’s rotation, most likely in the second half of June.

Scherzer continues building up his pitch count and stamina in advance of a minor league rehab assignment. He’ll either need another bullpen session or progress to facing hitters next week. The 41-year-old veteran is working his way back from forearm and ankle issues that put him on the injured list back in late April.