Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Max Scherzer told reporters Tuesday that he will be ready for Opening Day despite joining camp late.
He also said he is completely over the thumb issues that plagued him the last two seasons, telling reporters he plans to pitch this weekend against the Philadelphia Phillies.
“I feel good. I feel healthy. I just want to pitch,” Scherzer said via MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson.
Max Scherzer says he’ll be ready for the start of the season and is completely past his thumb issues.
“I feel good. I feel healthy. I just want to pitch.” #BlueJays
— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) March 3, 2026
Multiple reports indicated Scherzer had reached a one-year deal with the Blue Jays last week and the deal was made official Monday evening. He reported to camp over the weekend and threw a bullpen on Monday.
“Good catching up with gramps,” manager John Schneider said to reporters Monday. “Nice to have him back.”
The future Hall-of-Famer made 17 starts for Toronto during the 2025 regular season and pitched to a 5.19 ERA. He also made three additional starts in the postseason, including two in the World Series.
The 41-year-old Scherzer joins a crowded Blue Jays starting staff already featuring Dylan Cease, Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage, Shane Bieber, Jose Berrios, Eric Lauer and Cody Ponce.
The Jays have not officially laid out plans for their starting rotation, but Bieber is not expected to be ready for the start of the season due to arm fatigue coming off his Tommy John surgery recovery. Toronto has also said they would like to be mindful of Yesavage’s workload coming off his meteoric rise through the team’s system last year.
This season will be Scherzer’s 19th in the big leagues. He is an eight-time All-Star, three-time Cy Young Award winner and a two-time World Series winner.