Max Scherzer appears to be nearing a return to the Texas Rangers.
Manager Bruce Bochy told MLB Network’s Jon Paul Morosi that the three-time Cy Young Award winner is expected to begin a minor league rehab assignment Wednesday. Bochy’s update comes after Scherzer threw 40 pitches in two innings of a simulated game Friday, the second time he faced live batters this week, according to the Dallas Morning News‘ Evan Grant.
Scherzer, 39, beginning his rehab assignment is contingent upon him recovering and feeling good after this latest throwing session. The plan is to keep him on the normal five-day schedule for a starting pitcher, including a bullpen session, before he takes the mound and can build up a pitch count.
The 17-year veteran has not pitched yet this season after recovering from offseason surgery for a herniated disc. Following the December procedure, Scherzer was not expected to return until June. But he dismissed talk that he’s “ahead of schedule” in his recovery.
“I want to remove all that ‘ahead of schedule,’ ‘early,’ — all of that lingo,” Scherzer told Grant. “No, I have not been experiencing the symptoms that most people experience, outside of the surgery. I have felt normal. I turned the corner here a couple of weeks ago.”
“Everything I’m doing, in terms of throwing, I’m recovering from it normally,” he added. “My body feels good. So I’m just ramping up like normal right now. This is not me pushing anything. I’m not trying to cut a single corner.”
Scherzer last pitched in Game 3 of the World Series last season, throwing three innings before leaving with back tightness. The Rangers acquired him from the New York Mets at the trade deadline.
In eight regular season starts for Texas, Scherzer went 3–2 with a 3.20 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 45 innings. During the postseason, he made three starts with seven runs, 11 hits and five walks allowed in 9 2/3 innings.
