Blue Jay pitcher Max Scherzer to come off injury list to play Washington on his 42nd birthday

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer (31) reacts after striking out Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (12) to record his 3500th strike out during first inning MLB baseball action in Toronto on Wednesday June 10, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

BOSTON (AP) — Toronto veteran right-hander Max Scherzer will celebrate his 42nd birthday with a start, coming off the injured list and starting Monday’s series opener at Washington, Blue Jays manager John Schneider said.

“Max is going to pitch (Monday),” he said following their 6-1 series finale loss to the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Sunday.

“I think just talking to him and understanding where he was physically and how he has recovered from the rehab outing in (Triple-A) Buffalo,” Schneider said. “Maybe a little bit limited in pitch count, but I think he kind of checked all the boxes.”

Scherzer (1-4 with a 10.23 ERA) was placed on the injured list in mid-June with back spasms, but has had various setbacks, including three cortisone shots in his thumb.

He threw 56 pitches in five innings, striking out seven in a rehab start on Wednesday.

He’s made only six starts this season for the Blue Jays, who have dropped seven of 10 since the All-Star break.

Last season, after being left off the ALDS roster because of late-season struggles, Scherzer was included on the ALCS and World Series roster for the Blue Jays. Toronto lost the series in seven games to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

He is 222-121 with a 3.27 ERA in 489 games over 19 seasons and seven different teams. He has two World Series rings, one coming with the Nationals, where he’ll start on Monday, in 2019. The other with Texas in 2023.

Ken Powtak, The Associated Press