Max Scherzer gave the Blue Jays exactly the kind of update they were hoping for Wednesday afternoon, turning in a dominant rehab start for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons.
The veteran right-hander looked like his old self in Buffalo, throwing five no-hit innings with seven strikeouts. He finished with 56 pitches, 40 of them strikes, and did not allow a run or a walk.
What an impressive return for Max Scherzer. He fired five no-hit innings for AAA Buffalo this afternoon.
▪️5.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K & 56 pitches (40 strikes)
This is the deepest Scherzer has pitched in three months. We'll see where and when he makes his next start. #BlueJays pic.twitter.com/1vsBiMPpU2
- Thomas Hall (@Hall_Thomas_) July 22, 2026
The outing marked the deepest Scherzer has gone in three months and is another step in his recovery from a thumb injury that has kept him out for weeks. Toronto is expected to give him at least one more start with Buffalo before activating him, and the next week should clarify where he stands.
There’s no question the Blue Jays could use the help. Their pitching staff has been battered, and Scherzer’s return would at least give them another proven arm. The bigger question is how much is left in the tank for the 41-year-old, especially with his age, injury history, and declining stuff in what is widely expected to be his final season.
So far, the numbers have been rough. In six starts, Scherzer is 1-4 with a 10.23 ERA, giving up 25 earned runs, 11 walks, and nine home runs across 22 innings. Still, there have been flashes that remind you why Toronto brought him in.
He picked up his lone win in his first start of the season, working six strong innings and allowing four hits and one earned run. He also threw six innings with two runs allowed in an April 18 start against the Diamondbacks.
Last season offered a better stretch, too, when the eight-time All-Star went 3-1 with a 1.80 ERA over a four-start run spanning 25 innings. Then came the postseason, where Scherzer posted a 3.77 ERA, won Game 4 of the ALCS against the Seattle Mariners, and famously chased Manager John Schneider from the mound.
His competitive fire hasn’t gone anywhere. The next week will tell the story of what comes next.
If Toronto somehow mounts an improbable run, Scherzer could help steady the rotation for a playoff push. If the Blue Jays become sellers before the trade deadline and move Kevin Gausman and/or Shane Bieber, he could be part of a different kind of solution.
There’s also been talk of Scherzer as a possible “flier” for contending teams, though his full no-trade clause complicates that path.
If he can come back healthy and rediscover even some of the stuff he’s shown at times over the past two seasons, Scherzer could give the Blue Jays a lift and take some pressure off a bullpen that has already logged the second-most innings in the American League.
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