Max

Scherzer

Schezer checked out fine from a physical standpoint after throwing 49 pitches during a rehab outing for High-A Vancouver last Friday. The 41-year-old future Hall of Fame starter is rehabbing from a back injury that out him on the shelf back in mid-June. He’s trending towards returning to Toronto’s rotation sometime after the All-Star break.

Scherzer walked a pair while striking out three batters in the contest. He threw just 49 pitches in this one, so it’s likely that he’ll need another tune-up in the minor leagues before he’s cleared to rejoin the Blue Jays’ rotation. Either way, with what we have seen from Scherzer this season, he’s really not relevant from a mixed league perspective — especially if he can’t stay on the field.

Scherzer is traveling with the Blue Jays on their road trip, so he will make a rehab start Friday with Vancouver, then rejoin the team in Seattle on Saturday. From there, he will throw a bullpen on Sunday, and the team will determine next steps from there. Scherzer could return right after the All-Star break, but he would remain off the fantasy radar outside of the deepest formats until we can see him pitch deep into a game for Toronto.

Schneider told reporters it’ll likely be rookie Spencer Miles getting the ball for a bullpen game in place of Corbin, who was originally scheduled to start Wednesday’s series finale against the Mets. The 36-year-old veteran has pitched to a cromulent 5.09 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and 52/24 K/BB ratio across 69 innings over 15 starts this season. His rotation spot will likely go to Max Scherzer (back) once he’s ready to come off the injured list in a few weeks.

It’s an encouraging sign that Scherzer has resumed throwing without any issues after hitting the injured list with back spasms last week. The 41-year-old veteran will be brought along slowly to avoid any setbacks, but it doesn’t appear that he’s facing a lengthy absence. It’s possible he’s ready to return to Toronto’s rotation in late June or early July. He’s struggled so much this season that it’s nearly impossible to trust him as a streaming option in fantasy formats.

Scherzer was scheduled to start Wednesday’s contest against the Red Sox at Fenway Park after reaching the 3,500 strikeout milestone his last time out against the Phillies. It’s fair to wonder whether Toronto should continue committing a rotation spot to Scherzer since he’s posted a calamitous 10.23 ERA and 13/12 K/BB ratio across 22 innings this season. The 41-year-old future Hall of Famer is likely to miss at least a couple weeks. It’ll be Chad Dallas coming up to take the ball for a bulk relief appearance against Boston in his place.

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.