Texas Rangers veteran pitcher Max Scherzer has returned to the injured list.
The three-time Cy Young Award winner He was placed on the 15-day injured list.retroactive to Wednesday, due to fatigue in his right shoulder. This is the second time Scherzer has been sidelined this year. To start the season, he was on the injured list after undergoing a surgical procedure for a herniated disk in his back during the offseason.
He didn’t make his first appearance until June 23 and has started just eight games with mixed results this season for a Rangers team struggling to defend its World Series title.
At 40 years old and having pitched 2,874 career innings, Father Time is seemingly nipping at his heels with the recent injuries he’s been dealing with.
In addition to the right shoulder fatigue that has been bothering him all season, Scherzer has had to deal with thumb soreness and nerve issues. And those injuries don’t bode well for a Rangers rotation that has been plagued by injuries of late.
Jacob deGrom, Jon Gray and Tyler Mahle are also on Texas’ injured list. In terms of recovery, deGrom He recently threw a 45-pitch bullpen. While recovering from Tommy John surgery, Gray will miss the month of August with a groin injury. Mahle, also recovering from Tommy John surgery, is 74 pitches into his minor league recovery assignment and is the closest to returning of the three.
The Rangers’ current rotation includes Nathan Eovaldi, Andrew Heaney, Dane Dunning and Jose Ureña. The team traded starter Michael Lorenzen at the deadline, further reducing the roster.
But with the team sitting at 52-27, 4 1/2 games back in the AL West and eight games out of a wild-card spot, they’ll have to hope their future Hall of Fame pitcher can return soon to help them in their late-season effort.
