Texas Rangers right-hander Max Scherzer is set to come off the injured list and pitch on Saturday in Seattle after a successful workout on Friday.
Earlier this year, Scherzer was limited due to back surgery from the offseason. Later, he experienced shoulder and nerve pain in his right arm after returning to the rotation. This season, Scherzer has a record of 2-4 with a 3.89 ERA in eight starts and 39 1/3 innings.
His last appearance was on July 30. He recently completed a successful rehab outing for Triple-A Round Rock in Las Vegas, where he pitched four scoreless innings, threw 59 pitches, and struck out four.
Even though the defending World Series champion Rangers are nearly out of playoff contention, Scherzer, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, wants to demonstrate that he can overcome the injuries that have affected his career in the past 18 months.
“It’s just frustrating because … I pride myself on making my starts, going 30-plus starts every single year,” Scherzer said before the Rangers’ game against Seattle on Friday night. “To be sitting on the IL like this, it’s boring. It’s frustrating.
You’re not out there competing with the team. I’ve never dealt with this in my career. So, you know, I’m sick of it.”
The 40-year-old pitcher said he is not worried about his pitching control or the condition of his arm. His focus now is on using what he’s learned about his arm’s condition as he wraps up the season.
He plans to address his issues with new training methods in the offseason to ease his discomfort.
“It’s just proving that I’m healthy … that I’m not dealing with (thoracic outlet syndrome), I’m not dealing with shoulder injuries,” Scherzer said. “I’m managing what I’ve got going on and I can be out there, I can be healthy and I can make my starts.”
