Injured Blue Jays Fan Favorite Hits Important Number in Rehab Game

The Toronto Blue Jays need injured starting pitcher Max Scherzer to do certain things during his rehab assignment. He did that on Friday.

He threw for Triple-A Buffalo on Friday, his second rehab start. He allowed three runs on five hits with a walk and five strikeouts in 3.2 innings. Toronto would like more length, but he did hit one important number — 73 pitches.

MLB teams prefer that injured starting pitchers reach 75 pitches during their rehab assignment. That’s because those injured starters can usually ladder up to 90 pitches in their first start back in the Majors.

So does this mean Scherzer is ready to return? The Blue Jays will have to figure that out as the 41-year-old three-time Cy Young winner undergoes a day of recovery, which will tell the organization plenty about where his arm is at.

Max Scherzer’s Potential Return

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer throws a baseball during a game. — Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer. | Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images

He’s been on the injured list since April 27 with right forearm tendinitis and left ankle inflammation. He’s rarely been at full strength since he signed with Toronto last year, but his indelible performance in Game 7 of last year’s World Series still resonates with Blue Jays fans.

Before hitting the IL he was 1-3 with a 9.64 ERA in five games. Toronto needs him to be right before he returns. The Blue Jays can’t afford for him to back-slide onto the IL again.

But let’s say Scherzer is declared ready to return after Friday’s rehab start. Where should he slot into the rotation? There are two tantalizing options.

If Scherzer were to pitch on normal rest and return to Toronto he would do so at home on Wednesday against the Philadelphia Phillies. With Dylan Cease on his own rehab assignment and queuing up for a return, it’s possible the Blue Jays might activate Cease before Scherzer. He hit 75 pitches in his rehab game. Starting Cease on Wednesday would give him an extra day of rest.

If the Blue Jays opt to give Scherzer more time to recover, he could pitch Friday against the New York Yankees. It would drop him in the middle of a big AL East showdown with a Yankees team now reeling from losing slugger Aaron Judge to an injury.

If he’s healthy, the Blue Jays must get him in there. The rotation right now features Kevin Gausman, Patrick Corbin, Trey Yesavage, Mason Fluharty and Braydon Fisher. The last is starting on Saturday but Spencer Miles is expected to follow him shortly as a bulk option.

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