Max Scherzer Creates Buzz During Blue Jays Rehab Debut in Vancouver

For one night, Max Scherzer was a Canadian. A Vancouver Canadian.

The three-time Cy Young winner made his injury rehab debut on Friday with the Blue Jays’ High-A affiliate in Vancouver. It’s not traditionally where pitchers like Scherzer begin their way back to the Majors, but it was convenient given that Toronto is in Seattle this weekend to face the Mariners. It allowed him to get in game work and then meet with team trainers on the road.

Last month, the Detroit Tigers sent their injured two-time AL Cy Young winner, Tarik Skubal, to their High-A affiliate in West Michigan. That was also a matter of convenience. The affiliate was just a few hours away from Detroit. Skubal started in the Majors with his next turn.

Scherzer is unlikely to be as quick to return to Toronto.

Max Scherzer’s Rehab Debut

Just Max Scherzer doing Max Scherzer things. 😮‍💨#AtTheNat pic.twitter.com/fRrwQhOPFS
— Vancouver Canadians (@vancanadians) July 3, 2026

Scherzer took the field in the traditional Vancouver Canadians home white jersey and red hat for what became a three-inning stint on the hill. He threw 49 pitches, with 33 of those being strikes. He gave up three hits, two runs, two walks and struck out three. High-A stadiums don’t have Statcast data. But, Thomas Hall of Jays Nation covered the game and noted that the stadium scoreboard recorded Scherzer’s fastest pitch at 95 mph.

Meanwhile, in Seattle, manager John Schneider told reporters, including Shi Davidi of Sportsnet, that the veteran would probably need a couple of more rehab games before he returns. That likely puts him returning to the rotation after the All-Star break.

The 41-year-old right-hander has been on the injured list since June 17 with back spasms. He was only back for a week after he spent more than a month on the injured list from April 27-June 10 with two injuries — right forearm tendinitis and left ankle inflammation.

That has limited him to just six starts in 2026, as he’s 1-4 with a 10.23 ERA. He struck out 11, walked 14 and gave up nine home runs in 22 innings. It hasn’t been as fruitful a signing as the Blue Jays had hoped for when they re-upped him during spring training.

Injuries were a problem last year for Scherzer, who missed most of the first three months of last season with right thumb inflammation. He returned for the second half of the season and after some initial struggles, he gave Toronto quality innings. He finished the season 5-5 with a 5.19 ERA in 17 starts. But he came up huge in the World Series, including a Game 7 start that put the Blue Jays in position to win a third title before the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied to win.

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