Max Scherzer, a right-hander, has already made one rehab start and was scheduled to make another, but it will be postponed a few days due to pain in his right thumb, according to GM Chris Young (X link via Kennedi Landry of MLB.com). They hope he can make his next start this week.
The 39-year-old Scherzer has spent the entire season to date on the 15-day injured list while he mends from offseason back surgery. He was excellent in eight starts down the stretch last year, pitching to a 3.20 ERA with a 29.9% strikeout rate and 8.5% walk rate following the trade that sent him from the Mets to Texas. The original thought was that Scherzer would be sidelined into June, but the Rangers held off on placing the three-time Cy Young winner on the 60-day injured list with his recovery ahead of schedule. There’s no indication that his back is providing any problems, so assuming the thumb injury proves minor, a mid-May return still feels viable.
Texas’ rotation is presently ranked 14th in the majors, with a 3.87 ERA. That’s largely due to excellent performances by Nathan Eovaldi, Dane Dunning, and Jon Gray, all of whom have made six starts. Cody Bradford, a left-hander, shined early on but is now on the injured list due to a stress fracture in his rib. Veteran Andrew Heaney has struggled in five starts, and rookie Jack Leiter was hammered hard in his major league debut. Right-hander Michael Lorenzen, who inked a one-year deal in late spring, has helped stabilize things in his first three starts — but Scherzer’s return would be a significant advantage to the staff, of course.
Texas has three seasoned starters on the mend, including Scherzer. Jacob deGrom and Tyler Mahle are both scheduled to return later in the season. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News provides an update on Mahle’s recovery from Tommy John surgery, noting that he and Rangers prospect Kumar Rocker had their Tommy John procedures performed on the same day last year, and by the same surgeon: Dr. Keith Meister. Rocker has started throwing all of his pitches from a mound, and Mahle is also pitching from a mound and will accompany his teammates on their upcoming road trip. Mahle and Rocker are not yet ready to face live hitters, but they are making good progress in their rehabilitation.
