Three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer of the Toronto Blue Jays threw 56 pitches over 4 1/3 innings of a Triple-A rehab start on Friday night as he eyes a return to the majors from a right thumb injury.

Scherzer allowed two runs and four hits for the Buffalo Bisons in the game against the visiting Columbus Clippers. He struck out four and walked none.

“It’s nice to face somebody else and be in a real game,” Scherzer said. “You can take it to another level.”

Scherzer, 40, said he will definitely need at least one more rehab start before returning to the majors.

“This thumb issue is a serious issue,” Scherzer said. “I’m still not out of the woods. I have to be able to do this at the big league level and recover at the big league level.”

Prior to Scherzer’s outing, Blue Jays manager John Schneider said he wouldn’t pay attention to Friday’s pitching stats.

“I want to see how Max feels (Saturday),” Schneider said. “I could care less about the line score. I want to see 60-65 pitches. I want to see the fastball velo is good and he’s coming out healthy.”

Scherzer exited his lone big league start of the season against the Baltimore Orioles on March 29 after three innings due to thumb inflammation. He allowed two homers among three hits.

Scherzer and the Blue Jays have been cautious because the eight-time All-Star has experienced several injuries, requiring seven stints on the injured list, over the past four seasons.

This is Scherzer’s first season with Toronto. He is 216-112 with a 3.16 ERA and 3,408 strikeouts in 467 games (458 starts) with seven teams over 18 seasons.

–Field Level Media