Scherzer's rehab progressing as he returns to Rangers camp

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Max Scherzer is excited to toss some medicine balls.

It seems mundane, but it’s one thing that Scherzer is fully looking forward to as he rejoins the Rangers in Surprise for the last two weeks of Spring Training.

“When you take that away from me for three months, you realize how much benefit you actually get from getting to do it,” Scherzer said with a laugh.

On Dec. 15, Scherzer underwent surgery on his back for a herniated disc that shut him down at that point in the offseason. He reported with pitchers and catchers at the beginning of camp, but the 39-year-old has been at home in Florida with his family for about two weeks before he rejoined the club this week.

Scherzer wouldn’t necessarily say he needed to get away from the club, but did note that being at home allowed him to not overexert himself and his competitive juices by being around the full grind of Spring Training.

“I kind of needed to be in my own environment, where I was doing my own thing and my own rehab program, and just kind of gradually take it a step at a time and respect the process,” he said. “For me the best way to do that was for me to get back home to Florida.”

Now, around the 13-week mark since surgery, Scherzer was cleared for baseball activities, including more medicine ball work.

“The biggest thing here right now because of how much I've been shut down is really getting some [medicine] ball tosses back, that was the number one thing I've been craving,” Scherzer reiterated. “That’ll really be able to loosen everything back up. Then I can start sprinting, jumping and doing all the things that, for me, allow me to be the best kind of athlete I can possibly be.

“Then the throwing ramps up behind that so that's where I'm at right now. I still have a process to navigate here. I’m just taking it day by day and listening to my body and what it can and can't do.”

As he continues rehabbing for an eventual return, June remains the target date for the Rangers, though Scherzer doesn’t fully see it that way.

Though Scherzer may be past his prime, the right-hander would no doubt be a quality addition to the Rangers rotation, whenever that may be. Texas acquired the 39-year-old ace from the Mets at the Trade Deadline last season for prospect Luisangel Acuña. Scherzer made eight starts for Texas down the stretch, going 4-2 with a 3.20 ERA.

He missed the final six weeks of the 2023 regular season due to a muscle strain in his right shoulder, but he ultimately made three postseason starts during the Rangers’ World Series run.

With the rotation lacking much big league depth at the moment, Scherzer is anxious to get back and contribute while also respecting the rehab process.

“I'm not looking to beat any date,” Scherzer said. “I haven't put a timeline on it. I don't look at it in those terms. I just look at it day by day. What can I do? Can I do more? Or do I have to do less each day? You start playing that end game and you start thinking about what date you can get back by [and] that's when you get in trouble because then you actually start trying to compete and push yourself to make that date. I definitely don't want to be in that mindset, [but] rather just do what I need to do each day.”

Regardless of when he officially returns to the field, the Rangers coaches and staff are more than happy to have Scherzer back in Surprise with the club as the regular season gets closer and closer.

He brings a veteran presence to a team that’s already overflowing with it.

“Even though I know he's injured right now, he’s Max,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “He's headed to the Hall of Fame and he brings a lot of energy. These young pitchers are getting the chance to spend time with him. He's going to be watching these guys. They'll be talking to him. What a great job he does, Max is a good student of the game. He watches these guys, he knows them and so that's another set of eyes and ears for them to bounce off of.”