BALTIMORE -- Blue Jays right-hander Max Scherzer will begin a rehab assignment on Sunday with Triple-A Buffalo and fellow righty Dylan Cease could get back on a bullpen mound this weekend, manager John Schneider said ahead of Thursday night’s series opener against the Orioles.
The 41-year-old Scherzer has been on the 15-day injured list since April 25 with forearm tendinitis and ankle inflammation. He threw to live hitters on Wednesday in Toronto.
“Kind of right now it lines up like Sunday, Friday and see how he feels Sunday, really,” said Schneider of how many rehab starts Scherzer may need. “Talking to him today, he's kind of just taking it one start at a time. … So we'll see what the pitch count is. It could be anywhere from like 45 to, you know, 55, 60, depending on how he feels. So, kind of just reassess it after Sunday. But most likely [he’ll need] another one, I think.”
Cease exited Sunday’s 4-1 loss to the Pirates after 4 1/3 innings with left hamstring discomfort and was placed on the IL with a mild strain. Schneider said Cease hoped he could throw a bullpen sometime during the Jays’ four-game set in Baltimore.
Scherzer had pitched to an uncharacteristic 9.64 ERA over five outings, completing six frames twice but failing to last half as long in the other three.
Still, the three-time Cy Young Award winner’s return would still be welcome news for a Jays rotation also missing José Berríos (Tommy John surgery), Cody Ponce (ACL sprain) and Shane Bieber (elbow, also out on rehab assignment).
Mantiply to have knee scoped
In the bullpen, Schneider said that after receiving a second opinion, left-hander Joe Mantiply will be getting a scope procedure on his left knee. He’s been on the IL with knee inflammation since May 18.
McAdoo gets the call
Meanwhile, Toronto’s roster carousel continued before Thursday’s opener with five moves, including selecting the contract of infielder Charles McAdoo to set up the 24-year-old’s potential MLB debut.
“He can play third, first. He's played a little bit of second the last couple of weeks in Triple-A,” Schneider said of the 26th-ranked prospect in the Jays organization. “He can run, but I think just putting together a pretty good offensive year. So, [we’ll] take a look at it for sure.”
In 50 games with Triple-A Buffalo, McAdoo was slashing .250/.357/.432 with 29 walks and 42 strikeouts. Those latter numbers represent significant improvements from his 2025 season with Double-A New Hampshire.
“It was a mentality thing,” said McAdoo. “Yeah, just really honing in on where I want to swing the bat and where I want the ball to start.”
McAdoo replaces infielder Lenyn Sosa, who landed on the 10-day IL with a bruised right wrist after he was hit by a pitch in Tuesday’s 8-1 home win over the Marlins.