The Texas Rangers’ playoff hopes have suffered a significant blow with another injury to Max Scherzer.
On Friday, the Rangers placed Scherzer on the 15-day IL due to “right shoulder fatigue.” Scherzer had only made eight starts since his midseason debut following offseason back surgery.
This injury is part of a concerning trend. Chelsea Janes, a longtime Washington Post baseball writer who covered Scherzer extensively during his time with the Washington Nationals, noted that Scherzer sounded “as uncertain as I’ve ever heard him” about his pitching future during an interview last month.
When I caught up with him a month or so ago, Scherzer was as uncertain as I’ve ever heard him about how long he could keep pitching. Numbers are ok, but it hasn’t looked comfortable or easy. Now another IL stint with two months to go. https://t.co/FjOw3R8s2t
— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) August 2, 2024
Scherzer has faced numerous injuries in recent years. He hasn’t made 30 starts in a season since 2021 and was dealing with major back issues during last year’s playoff run. Even when healthy, his performance hasn’t matched his peak years. This season, Scherzer has a modest 3.89 ERA in eight starts, with 38 strikeouts in 39.1 innings — a significant drop from his prime when he was striking out 12 batters per nine innings.
Scherzer turned 40 earlier this week. It’s uncertain if or when he will return to the mound for Texas this season, raising significant concerns about his physical condition.