BOSTON -- 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 the Washington Nationals, Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider said.
"Max is going to pitch [Monday]," he said following Toronto's 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 Wednesday.
He has 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 in 2019. The other was with the Texas Rangers in 2023.