Blue Jays’ Max Scherzer to start against Nationals on his 42nd birthday

Fiery righty (back, thumb) coming off IL on Monday, expected to face Washington lefty Andrew Alvarez

Published Jul 26, 2026  •  Last updated 22 minutes ago  •  2 minute read

Max Scherzer of the Toronto Blue Jays reacts after striking out Kyle Schwarber of the Philadelphia Phillies for his 3,500th career strikeout in the first inning of their MLB game at Rogers Centre on June 10, 2026 in Toronto. Photo by Cole Burston /Getty Images

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Mad Max is on his way back to the major leagues.

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Max Scherzer will make his return to the Toronto Blue Jays roster on Monday, when he is scheduled to face his former club, the Nationals and their surprising league-leading offence, in Washington, D.C.

“Max is going to pitch (on Monday),” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said on Sunday after a 6-1 loss to the Red Sox in Boston, via The Associated Press.

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

The fiery righty is expected to face off against lefty Andrew Alvarez on his 42nd birthday after a three-start rehab assignment that began on July 3 and included stops with the single-A Vancouver Canadians and triple-A Buffalo Bisons.

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Sidelined by back spasms, thumb soreness

He hasn’t pitched in the majors since a June 10 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies and was soon placed on the injured list with back spasms. He also had his rehab assignment paused in mid-July after receiving three cortisone injections in his right thumb, which has bothered him at times over the last few seasons.

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Scherzer, however, told Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith in Boston that he is in a “good spot throwing the ball” and that it is “coming out of my hand the way it needs to.

“I can feel it coming out of my hand and that feels right,” he told Nicholson-Smith. “I know I can pitch. I know I can still go out there and compete.”

In sixth starts this season, the three-time Cy Young Award winner has a 10.23 ERA and 1.73 WHIP with just 14 strikeouts in 22 innings. He pitched much better in his last rehab start in Buffalo, however, allowing no runs, no hits and no walks over five innings, while striking out seven Rochester Red Wings batters.

When Scherzer starts on Monday, he will be just 15 innings shy of 3,000 over his MLB career.

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