Returning Blue Jays pitcher has no intention of missing Opening Day

It may have taken a while for things to come to fruition this offseason, but the Toronto Blue Jays eventually were able to bring back Max Scherzer for another go-around. However, because the deal ultimately came after training camp had started, many had expected that Scherzer would need extended Spring Training to get himself ready and potentially miss the start of the regular season.

Well apparently that isn’t in the plans, at least according to Mad Max himself. That is because the returning Blue Jays pitcher has no intentions of missing Opening Day and is getting himself ready for March 27, which will be the first game of the 2026 season for Toronto. 

Returning Blue Jays pitcher has no intention of missing Opening Day

In fact, according to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet, Scherzer will already start ramping things up as he plans to pitch multiple innings this upcoming Saturday against the Philadelphia Phillies in Grapefruit League action. In addition, the 41-year-old veteran acknowledged the fact that he has overcome his thumb issues from last season and feels great heading into camp.

That’s certainly great news for the Blue Jays. After all, they were hit with multiple injury news to their pitching staff in recent weeks, first with Bowden Francis and Shane Bieber, and later on with pitching prospect Ricky Tiedemann. Added to the fact that rookie Trey Yesavage will be on a managed workload, the addition of Scherzer back into the mix couldn’t have come at a better time.

Last season, the three-time Cy Young winner posted a 5-5 record with a 5.19 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, along with 82 strikeouts in 85 total innings over 17 starts. Despite some struggles with injuries and consistency, Scherzer did show glimpses of his dominance during a stretch between the end of July to the end of August last year, producing four key wins for the Blue Jays in the process.

More significantly, he came up big for Toronto in the MLB Playoffs starting in key games, including two in the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Scherzer may not have earned the victory in either of his starts against the Dodgers, but he definitely gave the Blue Jays every opportunity to win during those starts.

Now officially back with another shot at glory, look for Mad Max to do all that he can to help the Blue Jays get back to where they belong, which is another chance at the World Series title.