Max Scherzer seems to have moved past his injuries this season based on recent comments
The Toronto Blue Jays have suffered more injuries to their starting rotation than any other team in baseball this season.
The Blue Jays have had six starters either miss time or who are currently out in the seventh. A seventh starting pitcher, Eric Lauer, was designated for assignment and is currently on the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Right-handed pitchers Cody Ponce (ACL surgery) and Jose Berrios (Tommy John surgery) are both out for the season.
However, several of the starting pitchers who have been for portions of the season, including Max Scherzer, are nearing their respective returns to the major league roster.
Scherzer made his second rehab outing with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons on Friday. He struck out five batters, walked one and allowed three earned runs on five hits (one home run) in 3.2 innings pitched and threw 73 pitches.
Through his two rehab outings, Scherzer has a 4.05 ERA and has fanned nine hitters in 6.2 innings pitched.
Scherzer was placed on the injured list April 27 (retroactive to April 25) due to right elbow tendinitis and left ankle inflammation.
According to recent comments made by Scherzer, he seems to be completely healthy and has put his injury concerns behind him.
"I got rid of that tendinitis in my forearm," Scherzer said following his rehab start Friday. "Done all the exercises to get rid of it. Ball's coming out of my hands (and) I don't feel that little tug in my forearm anymore, so that's the No. 1 thing I'm really worried about. The foot, that was just a little inflammation. It was a part of the reason I went on the IL but that's gone. I'm fine."
Scherzer, who's currently in the midst of his 19th season in the major leagues, pitched for Toronto in 2025 but was a free agent after the season ended.
The Blue Jays brought him back in the spring on a one-year, $3 million deal in the spring due to the injuries the team already had on the rotation. Trey Yesavage, Bieber and Berrios all went down in spring training and were on the injured list to begin the season.
Scherzer dealt with his tendinitis on-and-off before going on the injured list, which led to several shorter starts from the three-time Cy Young winner and likely future National Baseball Hall of Fame inductee.
The 41-year-old had a 9.64 ERA with 10 strikeouts in 18.2 innings pitched across five starts before being placed on the shelf.
Toronto, who entered this season with legitimate World Series aspirations, has been inconsistent due to the injuries to the rotation as well as other key injuries, such as outfielder Addison Barger (right elbow inflammation) and catcher Alejandro Kirk (left thumb fracture).
Even with those injuries, the Blue Jays are still in the thick of the playoff race. They're tied for third in the American League East with a 31-34 record with the Baltimore Orioles, eight games behind the first-place Tampa Bay Rays.
Following its 6-4 win against Baltimore on Saturday, Toronto is one game out of the third and final wild card spot in the American League.
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