Blue Jays may have seen the last of Max Scherzer following latest roster moves

No one expected Max Scherzer's return from the injured list to save the Toronto Blue Jays, but it's safe to say no one expected things to go this poorly, either.

In his lone start after coming back from forearm and ankle injuries, the 41-year-old was rocked by the Philadelphia Phillies, watching his season ERA balloon to 10.23. Neither his -0.7 fWAR nor his 8.78 FIP offered any better indication that Mad Max still had a pulse. Instead, Sad Max appeared to be a husk of his former self.

Nevertheless, manager John Schneider told reporters that he planned to give his future Hall of Famer more work in the rotation, as the team's endless parade of injuries had taxed the bullpen through the first two months of the season.

Unfortunately, those plans have fallen through. Scherzer is headed back to the IL with back spasms, and he'll be replaced on the pitching staff by Chad Dallas.

Scherzer, who was slated to start Wednesday nights game (Jun. 17) against the Boston Red Sox, will instead be supplanted by Braydon Fisher in an opener role. Either Spencer Miles (who hasn't pitched since Sunday) or Simeon Woods Richardson (who hasn't pitched in nearly 10 days) will likely take on the bulk of the middle innings from there, if Dallas can't make it to the game in time.

Max Scherzer's disastrous 2026 season gets worse when you look under the hood

Despite Scherzer becoming just the 11th player in MLB history to reach the 3,500 strikeout plateau in his most recent start, all the telltale signs of a finished pitcher were otherwise present. He left more than a few mistakes out over the plate, with Bryce Harper and Alec Bohm punishing him early with a pair of long balls.

Nothing about his game looks right anymore. He is the bottom ten percent among all pitchers in whiff rate, strikeout rate, barrel rate, and ground-ball rate, which is about as bad of a combination as you can dream up for a starter. In layman's terms, Scherzer is giving up too much contact, most of which is loud contact in the air.

Naturally, the pitch-grading models don't think highly of the right-hander either. His Stuff+ and Location+ are both below average for the first time in his career, and only his slider grades out as a positive influence on his overall arsenal. No matter how crafty or wily a player is, no one could survive losing so much life on their pitches.

While Scherzer's longevity and Hall of Fame résumé is worth celebrating -- how many more pitchers will throw enough innings to record 3,500 strikeouts? -- it's clear that Father Time has finally caught up with him. Whether these back spasms are a real issue or if this is a case of the "phantom IL," it's best to assume we've seen the last of Mad Max in a Blue Jays uniform.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow