Blue Jays’ Max Scherzer (thumb) expected to start Wednesday

TORONTO — Three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer is expected to be activated from the 60-day injured list to start for Toronto at Cleveland on Wednesday, manager John Schneider said after the Blue Jays’ 4-2 loss to the White Sox on Sunday.

“He’s ready to go,” Schneider said of Scherzer, adding that the veteran right-hander will likely be capable of throwing as many as 90 pitches.

Scherzer was declared ready to return after throwing between 30 and 40 pitches in a bullpen session Sunday morning.

“Really, really excited to have him back,” Schneider said. “That’s a huge, huge, obviously, addition to us. It’s Max Scherzer. I’ll take that any day of the week.”

At Columbus on Wednesday, Scherzer gave up two runs, struck out four and walked none over 4⅓ innings in the second of two rehab starts for Triple-A Buffalo.

The previous Friday, Scherzer struck out eight in 4⅓ scoreless innings for the Bisons in a home start against Worcester.

The 40-year-old Scherzer signed a one-year, $15.5 million deal with the Blue Jays in February. He left his Toronto debut against Baltimore on March 29 after three innings because of soreness in his right lat muscle. The next day, Toronto put Scherzer on the injured list because of inflammation in his thumb.

Scherzer has had two cortisone injections this season to relieve inflammation in his troublesome thumb. He was transferred to the 60-day injured list last month but became eligible to return May 29.

He went 2-4 with a 3.95 ERA in nine starts for Texas last season, starting the year on the injured list while recovering from lower back surgery. Scherzer said earlier this season that his sore thumb, which also impacted his 2022 and 2023 seasons, was also an issue in 2024.

Scherzer won World Series titles with Washington in 2019 and Texas in 2023. He won his first Cy Young Award after going 21-3 with a 2.90 ERA in 32 starts for Detroit in 2013. The eight-time All-Star earned consecutive NL Cy Young Awards with the Nationals in 2016 and 2017.

Scherzer has a career record of 216-112 with a 3.16 ERA in 467 games, including 458 starts. He has 3,408 strikeouts in 2,881 innings.