Has Max Scherzer thrown his final pitch for the Toronto Blue Jays?

Max Scherzer's second season with the Toronto Blue Jays has been nothing short of a disaster.

The 41-year-old has been on the IL on several occasions due to different injuries, including a current back issue, which was sustained on June 14. As a result, he's been limited to only six starts this season.

The issue with Scherzer, however, hasn't been his unavailability. It's his pitching itself which has caused a ton of concern.

Though the sample size is small, with just 22 innings on the season, Scherzer has a disastrous 10.23 ERA. He's already given up 27 hits, nine of which have been home runs. In other words, he's looked like an absolute shell of his former self.

This doesn't appear to be a pitcher stuck in a rut, either. While the numbers weren't nearly as bad for Scherzer in 2025, they were far from great. He finished the 2025 campaign with a 5.19 ERA, while making just 17 starts due to injuries, which have become a common theme for the three-time Cy Young Award winner.

Suddenly, it looks as though Scherzer's time with the Blue Jays is in serious jeopardy.

On Tuesday morning, GM Ross Atkins told reporters that he'd like to add starting pitching ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline. To many, that could, at the very least, prevent Scherzer from being placed back in the rotation.

The Jays already have four adequate starting pitchers in Kevin Gausman, Dylan Cease, Trey Yesavage, and Patrick Corbin. They also have Shane Bieber set to make his debut on Tuesday night. 

While adding starting depth is always a good option, it seems to suggest that Scherzer has run out of leash with the Blue Jays. They've tried to give him time to fix his struggles, but there's only so much they can do with that, given all his injury issues. 

Perhaps they will leave the door open for Scherzer to turn into a long reliever, though his pitching so far this season makes it difficult to envision even that turning out well. 

Though he appears to be progressing well after throwing a bullpen session on Monday, Atkins's openness about adding starting pitching suggests Scherzer may no longer be part of their plans.