Max Scherzer is feeling better, and John Schneider says Yimi Garcia should start rehab games later this week.
That gives the Blue Jays two needed pitching updates at once. Scherzer is at least moving in the right direction after landing on the 15-day injured list on April 27 with right forearm tendinitis and left ankle inflammation.
For Scherzer, the key word is better. Toronto is still waiting on the veteran right-hander to turn that into a mound plan, but this is the first sign that the latest shutdown may not drag on.
That matters because the Blue Jays did not put Scherzer on the injured list over a minor ache. He exited early against the Dodgers in April, and the forearm issue kept hanging over a rotation that has already taken too many hits.
Garcia’s update may be even more actionable. If the reliever starts rehab games later this week, then his return stops being a vague target and starts looking like a bullpen decision Toronto may need to make soon.
MLB.com projected Garcia for a return next week if his Triple-A work went well, so Schneider’s latest note fits that timeline and keeps him on track for a near-term activation.
The Blue Jays need that kind of help in a hurry. Garcia went on the injured list with a right shoulder impingement, and losing one of their trusted late-game arms changed the shape of the bullpen right away.
Also: Max Scherzer feeling better per John Schneider
And Yimi Garcia slated to start rehab games later this week
Toronto’s pitching picture is starting to move again
These are not equal updates, and that is what makes Monday’s news worth watching. Garcia has a visible next step. Scherzer is still in the feel-better stage, which is progress, but not yet a return plan.
Still, Scherzer feeling better counts for plenty on this staff. When Toronto signed him, the idea was simple: give the rotation a frontline veteran who could steady the group when the pressure tightened. Right now, the club just needs him healthy enough to get back on that path.
Garcia’s role is easier to define. He is the type of reliever Schneider trusts in leverage spots, and his return would give the bullpen a calmer pecking order from the seventh inning on.
That is why the rehab note stands out. Rehab games mean activity, schedule, and a chance to measure stuff instead of just talking about treatment or rest. With relievers, that can move fast once the first outing is logged.
So the Blue Jays leave this update with two very different forms of optimism. Scherzer is no longer sliding the wrong way, and Garcia is getting ready for game action.
For a pitching staff that has spent weeks absorbing bad news, that is a real change. Not a finish line, but finally a little forward motion on two arms Toronto badly needs.
Will Yimi Garcia return before Max Scherzer?
Also read on Blue Jays Insider :
John Schneider confirms Addison Barger return date
