Scherzer to make Blue Jays debut vs. Orioles on Saturday

The Toronto Blue Jays will have a boost in the form of a bonafide future Hall of Famer in Max Scherzer on the hill for their game against the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday.

The three-time Cy Young winner and two-time World Series champion is slated to make his debut for Toronto after being slowed by a thumb injury in Spring Training.

“He came in firing this morning, going over scouting reports with [pitching coach] Pete [Walker],” manager John Schneider said ahead of the season opener on Thursday. “His hair was everywhere. He’s flipping into regular season mode.”

There were concerns over whether Scherzer could make his debut in the opening series or if he would be pushed back after missing over a week of action due to a thumb issue the 40-year-old righty acknowledged can also have negative side-effects for his shoulder.

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“My thumb hurts. It hurts to grip the ball. The critical thing I’ve learned over the years here is that your thumb is absolutely critical to your arm health,” Scherzer said earlier in March. “Unfortunately, this is what I’ve been dealing with since 2023.”

Scherzer did not allow a run and struck out four while only surrendering two hits and one walk during a spring game against the Minnesota Twins on Saturday, his first game since March 8.

Scherzer threw 47 of his 62 pitches for strikes, reaching as high as 94.7 MPH with his fastball and averaging 93.3 MPH.

The potential for injury will likely be a concern for Scherzer all season long as he enters his 17th year in the big leagues.

Scherzer has not pitched more than 45 innings in each of the past two seasons with the Texas Rangers due to multiple injuries. He posted a 3.95 ERA over nine starts in 2024 with the Rangers.

Scherzer is an eight-time All-Star and won his World Series titles in 2019 with the Washington Nationals and 2023 with the Rangers. The native of St. Louis has a career 3.16 ERA with 216 wins and 3,407 strikeouts.

Thumbs up: Max Scherzer set to make Jays debut vs. Orioles

Toronto’s Max Scherzer was given the thumbs up to start Saturday afternoon against the visiting Baltimore Orioles. Now the Blue Jays hope his thumb holds up.

Scherzer’s thumb was an issue during spring training, but it passed the test against the Minnesota Twins last Saturday at Fort Myers, Fla.

The three-time Cy Young Award winner was deemed fit enough to start Saturday in the third contest of a four-game set against the American League East-rival Orioles.

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The teams have split the first two games, with Baltimore winning 12-2 on Thursday and Toronto recording an 8-2 decision on Friday.

Signed to a one-year, $15.5 million contract in February, Scherzer, a right-hander, was limited to nine starts with the Texas Rangers in 2024 because of various ailments. He was 2-4 with a 3.95 ERA.

But he was sharp in Toronto’s 2-1 spring training win over Minnesota. He struck out four in four scoreless innings.

The thumb remains a concern, however.

“It’s a little thing that’s a big thing,” said Scherzer, 40. “I’m not going to lie, it’s frustrating. Because I know I can pitch at this level. I know I can still pitch at a very high level as well. I know I have the pitches that I can execute and I can locate. But right now, it’s a thumb issue, and I’m going to be battling it until I’m fully built up.”

Scherzer made 62 pitches against Minnesota and is expected to be ready to reach 75-80 on Saturday. And then he will wait until Sunday to see the effect on his thumb.

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“When I’m out there, it heats up and it goes away and I’m fine,” Scherzer said. “It’s kind of like tendinitis in a way. Once it gets hot. … then I don’t feel it and I can pitch the way I’ve always pitched. I’m not worried about my stuff; I’m worried about how I recover — because this can blow up fast and lead to a lot of other things.”

Scherzer had problems with the Orioles last season, going 0-2 with a 7.36 ERA against them in two starts. He is 7-4 with a 3.46 ERA in 16 career starts against Baltimore.

Dean Kremer, who went 8-10 with a 4.10 ERA last season, will start for Baltimore on Saturday. The right-hander was 0-1 with a 10.38 ERA in one start vs. the Blue Jays in 2024 and is 3-4 with a 4.82 ERA in 11 career outings (10 starts) against them.

Neither team has used its closer because the first two games were blowouts.

Toronto’s Jeff Hoffman, signed as a free agent in the offseason, warmed up Friday but was not needed.

The return of Baltimore closer Felix Bautista from elbow surgery means manager Brandon Hyde will use him carefully, particularly in the first half of the season.

The manager said Bautista will be restricted to one inning and will not be used on back-to-back days. And if he warms up, Hyde would like to use him and not sit him if the game situation changes.

“When I get him up, I’d love to be able to get him in the game,” Hyde said. “A lot of times, closers or high-leverage guys, that’s not the case. … I’m just trying to handle Felix as well as I possibly can.”

“That’s the plan we discussed, to find a way to have me stay ready and stay healthy throughout the entire season,” Bautista said. “Have that continue going through the playoffs, hopefully.”