Max Scherzer's road back to the Toronto Blue Jays hit a bump Tuesday, allowing five runs in a rehab start with Triple-A Buffalo.
The 41 year old right-hander has been out with a back issue, and the Blue Jays have targeted at least July 17 before he's back in the mix.
This wasn't the tune-up outing anyone in that organization wanted to see, especially given how rough Scherzer's season has been even before the injury.
He's carrying a 10.23 ERA across six starts this year, with 25 earned runs allowed over just 22 innings.
A 1.73 WHIP over that stretch tells the same story. Hitters have had little trouble finding their way on base against him in 2026.
Rehab starts exist to shake off rust, not to solve a season's worth of problems, and five runs allowed doesn't do much to settle nerves either way.
Age catches up with even the best pitchers eventually, and Scherzer's track record buys him patience that a younger arm wouldn't get in the same spot.
Why Toronto's rotation math gets tricky if Scherzer struggles
Toronto has actually found some rhythm lately, riding a two game winning streak into a series at San Diego with a 44-49 record.
Adding Scherzer back healthy sounds appealing on paper, but a pitcher posting a double digit ERA doesn't automatically fix anything just by walking off the injured list.
It's a bit like getting your car back from the shop only to hear the same rattling noise on the drive home.
Does a rough rehab outing at 41 years old signal something bigger, or is this just one bad night that gets buried the moment he throws a clean start?
The Blue Jays front office will be watching his next assignment closely, since his back injury and his performance are now two separate problems tangled into one decision.
For now, Scherzer keeps working his way back on his own clock, and Toronto keeps winning games without knowing exactly what version of him it gets when he returns.
Should the Blue Jays still count on Max Scherzer as a rotation piece down the stretch?
Also read on Blue Jays Insider :
David Popkins reveals the truth on why Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is slumping
