The Texas Rangers are getting their ace back.
Max Scherzer, who hasn’t pitched this season due to offseason back surgery and thumb/forearm issues that popped up during his rehab, is making his 2024 debut on Saturday when the Rangers face off against the Kansas City Royals in Texas. The news was first reported by The Athletic’s Jim Bowden.
Scherzer is the first of many pitching reinforcements that the defending champion Rangers will be getting over the next few months. The Rangers acquired Scherzer at last year’s trade deadline from the New York Mets, and he made an immediate impact, going 4-2 with a 3.20 ERA in eight starts
Scherzer struggled in the postseason, sporting a 6.52 ERA in three starts. However, he made one strong start in the World Series, pitching three scoreless innings en route to Texas’ win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Scherzer made three rehab starts for the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate this year. In those starts, he pitched a total of 11 innings, allowing six earned runs while striking out 11. His ERA was 4.91.
However, the Rangers clearly feel confident enough to bring him back into the rotation, and he’ll now make his 2024 debut before the end of June.
The 2024 season will be Scherzer’s 17th in an MLB career that began back in 2008. Scherzer has played with the Diamondbacks, Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals, Los Angeles Dodgers, Mets, and Rangers, and has two World Series championships — one with Texas and one with Washington.
Scherzer will be joining a rotation that has been without him, Jacob deGrom, and Tyler Mahle all year long. The Rangers’ rotation has consisted primarily of Andrew Heaney (13 starts), Jon Gray (12 starts), Dane Dunning (12 starts), Michael Lorenzen (11 starts), and Nathan Eovaldi (11 starts). Rangers starters have combined for a 3.82 ERA this year, which is 13th-best in the majors. However, those numbers should dramatically improve with the team’s upcoming additions, starting with Scherzer.
