Max Scherzer returns to Texas Rangers, but what can he offer?
ARLINGTON, Tex. — Max Scherzer gave himself a day to feel sorry for himself after he walked off the mound early last month with an arm injury that he feared would end his season. Not long after, an MRI exam revealed he had a low-grade strain of his teres major muscle and wouldn’t need surgery.
And even though Texas Rangers General Manager Chris Young said at the time that it was unlikely Scherzer would pitch in the postseason, “unlikely” didn’t mean “impossible.” Scherzer became proof of that Tuesday when he met with reporters ahead of his start Wednesday night in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series against the Houston Astros.
“And here we are,” he said with a smirk. “You can never quit in baseball. You can never try to predict baseball. You have to go out every single day and do something about that. And fortunately that’s playing great in my hand.”
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With a 2-0 series lead, the Rangers are two victories from their first trip to the World Series since 2011. Up first are three home games — beginning with a start by Scherzer, who can push the defending champions to the brink of elimination. But Wednesday’s outing brings a significant level of uncertainty for the Rangers and their 39-year-old right-hander.
Scherzer has spent the past month building up his arm, throwing bullpen sessions and simulated games, in the hope that he would feel good enough to be included on a postseason roster. He threw ahead of the division series in Baltimore, and Rangers Manager Bruce Bochy said he could see Scherzer’s confidence grow. That earned him a spot on the ALCS roster.
“During that time, he was keeping us abreast of where he was at, how he felt,” Bochy said Monday. “Nobody knows his body better than him. He’s unbelievable at just telling us where he’s at, how close he is and things like that.”
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Bochy said Scherzer had been lobbying to pitch in recent days, even offering to come out of the bullpen in Sunday’s Game 1. The question never was whether Scherzer would make the effort to come back for the playoffs, even though it’s surprising that he has returned. (For context, Scherzer’s former New York Mets teammate and Astros Game 1 starter Justin Verlander suffered a low-grade teres major strain during spring training and returned in early May.) The question, put simply: How much could Scherzer give once he was ready — and how effective would he be?
Scherzer said he goes by feel. In his most recent simulated game, he started throwing pitches at maximum effort in the fourth inning, and he said his arm held up. But the next time he takes the mound, the conditions will be much different.
“That gives me confidence to know, ‘All right, now we have a better shot to be able to navigate a start,’” Scherzer said. “I have no idea what that means in a playoff start. I have no experience coming off an injury list [after] a month off and trying to make a playoff start. It’s my best guess what I will be able to do, but no one really knows.”
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Scherzer, who prides himself on his durability, has had injuries catch up with him in recent years. In the 2021 National League Championship Series, while playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers, he couldn’t pitch in Game 6 because of “dead arm.” He had two injured list stints in 2022 with the Mets because of oblique strains, then missed starts early this year with back soreness and neck spasms.
All of that left Scherzer effective but not dominant. His opponents’ average exit velocity is 88.5 mph, tied for his highest since Statcast began tracking data in 2015. His hard-hit rate of 36.9 percent is the highest in that same stretch. His strikeout rate (28 percent) is his lowest since 2015, and his walk rate (7.2 percent) is his highest in a 162-game season since 2012.
But the Rangers put their faith in him by acquiring him and Jordan Montgomery at the trade deadline to be stabilizing forces for a staff that was struggling with injuries. Jacob deGrom had elbow surgery in June. Nathan Eovaldi went on the injured list in late July with a right forearm strain.
Scherzer looked the part, posting a 3.20 ERA in his eight starts with Texas before being injured Sept. 12 in Toronto. Now he has a chance to start the type of game that the Rangers hoped they would need him for.
“[It] just shows you the kind of guy and his character that he is and truly great teammate that he is,” catcher Jonah Heim said Monday. “It’s obviously a lot of work to come back, to get to where he’s at now. And he wants to win. He’s going to do everything in his power to win, and him coming back gives us a great opportunity to do that.”
Scherzer said he threw through a forearm strain when he faced the Astros in early September — he allowed seven runs in three innings of a 12-3 loss — but feels healthier now. He said he’s unsure what his pitch count will be given the playoff atmosphere. Bochy said Scherzer threw 69 pitches in his latest bullpen session and maintained his stamina. That should be a starting point for how deep he could go in Game 3.
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Scherzer is no stranger to the moment, but this will be unfamiliar territory for him.
“There’s always some type of scenario where you have a new set of circumstances that you’ve got to deal with. It’s how you handle the hand you’re dealt and how you play it,” he said. “I realize what I got going forward for tomorrow. I realize the challenges I have for tomorrow. But it’s my job to navigate it and make the best of it.”
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