He’s not done yet. While it’s not the way the Toronto Blue Jays envisioned it, Max Scherzer is slated to begin the 2026 season in the starting rotation. Not only is Scherzer not ready to step aside, but it’s also clear the Blue Jays can’t afford to let that happen. Maybe more importantly, though, the future MLB Hall of Famer has more to offer from a performance perspective.
Yesavage Injury Opens The Door:
It’s important to remember that we are about to embark on a six-month season. While Trey Yesavage burst onto the scene with ease last year, he still has just 14 regular-season innings in the MLB under his belt. However, when you combine that with 98 minor league innings and another 27.2 high-stress innings in the postseason, that’s the most extensive workload of his young career.
What is clear is how talented Yesavage is. This also means the Blue Jays have an extra incentive, rightfully so, to be careful with his health. And if you have the benefit of having a future Hall of Fame pitcher fill his rotation spot to begin the season, that’s even better.
Mad Max Still Has Gas In The Tank:
At this point, there’s no concern about Scherzer being ready for the season and mid-season form. Yes, we don’t want to draw too many conclusions about a pitcher of Scherzer’s status and a Spring Training start, but it’s hard to argue with 4.2 scoreless innings. In his second start this spring, Scherzer struck out five as he simply built on four shutout innings from his previous start.
Last season, Scherzer did make 17 starts, but he only pitched 85 innings in those starts. He had a 5.19 ERA, but his 4.62 xERA might have been a better indication of his performance. Scherzer did come close to striking out a batter per inning, and that’s not insignificant either. Allowing 2.01 home runs per nine innings is, hopefully, a slight outlier, but it’s clear that Scherzer still has something to offer.
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