Scherzer shocking Rangers with rapid return timeline

This story was excerpted from Kennedi Landry’s Rangers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ATLANTA -- Max Scherzer, even past his prime, is no ordinary baseball player.

For that alone, nobody should be shocked at his quick return from back surgery, least of all the likely future Hall of Famer himself.

But now, less than five months after surgery to repair a herniated disk, Scherzer eyes a return much sooner than anybody would have expected. After a series of bullpen sessions and live batting practices over the last week, the 39-year-old could potentially begin a rehab assignment as soon as next week.

While he was originally slated to return in June or July, he could now be ready in early-to-mid May.

“We’re not ready to say a date, but we’re looking at early May in being able to come back," said Scherzer when the Rangers were in Detroit earlier this week.

“We’re amazed at where he’s at at this point," manager Bruce Bochy added. "I mean, we were looking at the latter part of June before he’d be on the mound for us. But it’s going to be way before that. And, I’ll be honest. He’s not a spring chicken, but he had upper back surgery and he’s pushed it. But not to the point where I think we’re risking any setback."

Scherzer knows his body well and won’t push past what he’s capable of. But that’s an even bigger testament towards the progress he’s made coming back from this injury.

“I was in an extremely good position after the three-month mark [in Spring Training],” Scherzer explained. “So that's just allowed me to kind of have a normal ramp-up program. That's why I'm not going fast. I'm not doing anything extra. I'm not trying to cut corners. I'm not trying to do anything more than what my body just allows me to and just be myself. I've been able to get myself to this position.”

After joining the Rangers at the Trade Deadline last season, Scherzer made eight starts for Texas down the stretch, going 4-2 with a 3.20 ERA in eight starts. He missed the final two weeks of the 2023 regular season due to a muscle strain in his right shoulder, but was able to make three postseason starts during the Rangers’ run to their first World Series title in franchise history.

So what does Scherzer’s early return mean for the Rangers’ pitching staff? Not to state the obvious, but more than anything, it helps the depth.

With both Jacob deGrom and Tyler Mahle still rehabbing from Tommy John surgery until the summer, with neither expected back until around the Trade Deadline, the depth has been a significant point for months. Now, with Cody Bradford sidelined alongside them with a back strain, the need for depth became every more apparent.

Until Scherzer’s return, the Rangers will continue to ride the five-man rotation of Nathan Eovaldi, Jon Gray, Dane Dunning, Michael Lorenzen and Andrew Heaney.

While Scherzer isn’t the pitcher he once was, he’s still one of the best in the world, so his return will undoubtedly give the Rangers a boost at the perfect time.

No matter what, Scherzer is eager to be back out on the mound to help the team.

“I still gotta be vigilant about this,” Scherzer said. “I understand the nature of this rehab, this surgery and it’s something I’ll probably have to deal with for a while. I’ll just manage it but, you know, I'm pain free right now. [The surgery] works.”