Max Scherzer has officially begun a rehab assignment with triple-A Buffalo.

The 40-year-old starting pitcher, recovering from a right thumb injury that’s limited him to just one start in 2025, was back pitching off a mound in a live game setting Friday night at Sahlen Field. He completed 4.1 innings for the Bisons, allowing a pair of runs on four hits — including a solo home run — while striking out four, throwing 56 pitches (39 strikes).

Scherzer induced 11 whiffs on 32 swings, seven combined via his four-seamer and slider — which occupied over two-thirds of his arsenal in his rehab outing with the Bisons.

The veteran right-hander displayed impressive fastball velocity out of the gate, with his heater averaging 93.6 m.p.h. and topping out at 94. However, it dipped considerably deeper into his outing and ultimately finished at 91.9 m.p.h. — matching the average velo from his lone start with Toronto on Mar. 29.

Scherzer’s final two fastballs came out at 87.8 and 89.5 m.p.h., respectively.

Of course, how the future Hall of Famer recovers following this start is more important than anything else. That’s been the primary focus of all parties throughout his recovery process.

If all runs smoothly, Scherzer will likely make another rehab start with Buffalo, ideally targeting 80-85 pitches. Once he completes that outing, assuming nothing flares up in the ensuing days post-start, that’s when the Blue Jays could decide to bring him back up to rejoin the big-league rotation.

It’s important not to get ahead of ourselves here, though. These are still just baby steps with Scherzer, albeit significant ones. At any point, he could be jolted back to square one, forced to restart his entire build-up.

Without Scherzer, who’s currently on the 60-day IL and would need to be re-added to the 40-man roster before rejoining the Blue Jays, the team has cycled through his turn in the rotation 13 times and is an impressive 9-4 in those games. That’s in large part due to the success of Eric Lauer, along with the rest of the bullpen.

Still, continuing to deploy a bullpen game every fifth day is unsustainable long-term, especially amidst Bowden Francis’s unreliable recent stretch. As such, a potential return from Scherzer — who signed a one-year deal worth $15.5 million over the off-season — could help solve the crisis they’re currently facing with two-fifths of the rotation.

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