The 41-year-old three-time Cy Young Award winner still has plenty left in the tank! Scherzer showed dominant stuff in his rehab start.

Blue Jays veteran hurler Max Scherzer is one step closer to rejoining the big league club. The right-hander, who has been out for more than a month with right forearm tendinitis and left ankle inflammation, made a rehab appearance at Triple-A, tossing three hitless innings with four strikeouts.

Now 41 years old, Scherzer faced the Phillies' Triple-A lineup, needing 41 pitches to complete three innings, with 24 of them being strikes. He issued two walks in the second inning but escaped the jam by inducing a double play, allowing no runs. In the third inning, he needed just 11 pitches to finish the frame, including back-to-back strikeouts, showcasing the dominance of the former Cy Young ace.

Beyond his impressive performance, Scherzer's velocity was encouraging. His four-seam fastball sat consistently between 92 and 94 mph, comparable to what he showed during his time with the Blue Jays in the majors this year. Blue Jays manager John Schneider recently stated that the team planned for Scherzer to throw 40 to 60 pitches in his first rehab start, so the 41-pitch workload met expectations and indicates the team is gradually building up his pitch count.

Scherzer made five starts after returning to the Blue Jays this season, posting a 9.64 ERA—a significant drop from his usual level—and landed on the injured list at the end of April. However, based on this rehab outing, the three-time Cy Young Award winner has sent a strong signal that he is ready to come back.