The Blue Jays are keeping Max Scherzer on a rehab track that points past the All-Star break, not through it.
Manager John Schneider said in San Francisco, including to MLB.com, that the 41-year-old right-hander will make his next rehab start Wednesday with Triple-A Buffalo. That follows Scherzer’s first outing Friday with High-A Vancouver, a normal step in the process but one that also narrows Toronto’s options for getting him back early.
Scherzer has been on the injured list since June 17 because of back spasms, and the timing of this next start matters. By going Wednesday on regular rest, he won’t be in line to return before the first half ends Sunday. The Blue Jays finish their road trip that day in San Diego, and there’s no realistic path for Scherzer to rejoin the rotation before then.
What comes next is less certain. A number of Toronto’s affiliates will also be off for the All-Star break, so if Scherzer stays on schedule, his next chance to pitch would be Monday.
That would mean either a simulated game or an appearance with the Blue Jays’ Florida Complex League team, which is scheduled to play Monday. Keeping that rhythm would leave him positioned to come back for the weekend after the break.
The first rehab start offered a snapshot of where he is right now. Scherzer threw 49 pitches in three innings for Vancouver, landing 33 for strikes. He allowed three hits, two runs and two walks while striking out three.
That kind of outing suggests the Blue Jays still need length from him before activation. Rehab starts for starting pitchers usually climb in 15-pitch steps, and by that measure Scherzer would still need two more outings to reach at least 75 pitches, the benchmark most clubs use as a sign a starter is ready.
Toronto is clearly aiming to have him available when the second half opens. That matters because the Blue Jays need the depth, and Scherzer’s season has already been interrupted by multiple injuries.
Right forearm tendinitis and left ankle inflammation limited him to six starts in 2026, and he is 1-4 with a 10.23 ERA. In 22 innings, he has struck out 11, walked 14 and allowed nine home runs.
Last year brought a different kind of setback. He missed the first three months with right thumb inflammation, then returned for the second half and went 5-5 with a 5.19 ERA in 17 starts. He also delivered when it mattered most in the World Series.
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For Toronto, the timing matters as much as the decision itself. Guerrero has been managing a lower back issue for about a month, and the plan is to give him space to get right for the second half, where the Blue Jays will need him closer to his best. He also thanked the fans who put him in position to start, leaving the club with a notable absence but a clear reminder that the bigger priority is what comes after the break. [Read more 🡒]