39-year-old Texas Rangers pitcher Max Scherzer is preparing for a minor league rehab start on Wednesday following back surgery during the offseason. This will be his first game action since the procedure.
Scherzer, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, is slated to start for Triple-A Round Rock against Salt Lake at home. The plan is for him to throw around 50 pitches against the Los Angeles Angels’ affiliate team, after throwing 40 pitches in a simulated game last Friday. Both Rangers manager Bruce Bochy and Scherzer are on board with this plan.
The surgery on December 15 was aimed at addressing a herniated disk in Scherzer’s lower back, which caused him to exit Game 3 of the World Series after just three innings due to back discomfort. An MRI post-World Series revealed some inflammation in the back, followed by nerve pain in his leg, leading to two epidural injections. Another MRI then confirmed the herniated disk.
Last summer, Scherzer was traded to the Rangers and went 4-2 with a 3.20 ERA in eight starts before missing the rest of the regular season and the initial playoff rounds due to a strained muscle in his right shoulder. With 3,367 career strikeouts, he leads active pitchers by 21 strikeouts and ranks second behind Justin Verlander in wins and games started among active pitchers.