Mad Max is back again.

Max Scherzer, whose one-year, $3 million contract that includes innings-based incentives is expected to be officially announced on Tuesday, arrived at the Toronto Blue Jays’ player development complex in Dunedin, Fla., on Monday morning. Dressed in full uniform, the 41-year-old righty threw his first side session of the spring since rejoining the team, and is slated to toss another on Wednesday.

If all runs smoothly, Scherzer — who had already been facing minor-league hitters near his home in Jupiter before returning to the Blue Jays last month — could make his Grapefruit League debut against the Philadelphia Phillies in Clearwater on Saturday, manager John Schneider told reporters, including Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith.

Separately, Schneider also revealed the Blue Jays’ rotation plans for the remainder of the week, with Cody Ponce making his second start of the spring on Monday versus the Boston Red Sox. Tuesday’s exhibition game against Canada’s WBC roster will feature Kevin Gausman, then Dylan Cease on Thursday (at Braves), José Berríos on Friday (versus Pirates), who’ll be followed by Eric Lauer out of the bullpen and likely Scherzer on Saturday.

Given Scherzer’s late entry to camp, chances are the future Hall of Famer won’t be fully built up by Opening Day, likely indicating he’ll open this season on the injured list alongside Shane Bieber (right forearm). Barring any setbacks, the former could be poised to make his 2026 season debut in mid-to-late April, or possibly early May.

At which point, the Blue Jays would have to create a spot amongst their crowded starting rotation for the three-time Cy Young winner, needing to solve how all these pieces will fit together. However, with injuries and poor performances always a possibility, the organization’s starter surplus could look very different from what it does currently when that moment arrives.

It’s possible this problem could solve itself. In the event it doesn’t, though, Toronto intends to prioritize carrying the best five — or six — starters rather than keeping everyone happy, as Schneider has previously mentioned.

As Scherzer proved last fall, pitching to a 3.77 ERA in three post-season starts, he’s still fully capable of being one of the club’s top five starters entering his 19th major league campaign.