For the second straight day, the Toronto Blue Jays got just two innings from their starting pitcher.
Max Scherzer was removed from Monday’s contest against the Los Angeles Dodgers at the top of the third inning, with left-hander Josh Fleming entering in relief.
Manager John Schneider told reporters after the game that Scherzer has been dealing with forearm tendinitis for the past couple of days, leading the Blue Jays to be extra careful with him.
Schneider added that he’s “fairly to quite fairly confident he’ll make his next start.”
The 41-year-old tossed just 36 pitches — 24 strikes — while allowing two hits, two runs and one walk while striking out two.
Sportsnet’s broadcast caught the veteran righty saying to the Blue Jays dugout, “I’m OK,” during his first inning of work.
Scherzer’s velocity was notably down throughout the appearance, with his fastball averaging 92.1 m.ph. — down more than a full tick from his first outing of 2026.
In Sunday’s loss to the Chicago White Sox, Eric Lauer was removed early due to illness.
The Blue Jays have battled significant attrition in their rotation to begin the 2026 season. Each of Shane Bieber, Trey Yesavage, José Berríos, Cody Ponce and Bowden Francis is currently on the injured list.
