Rangers get bad injury news on Max Scherzer

Max Scherzer battled through pain during the Texas Rangers’ World Series run this year, and now he will not be pitching again until well into the 2024 season.

Rangers GM Chris Young told reporters Friday that the veteran right-hander Scherzer has undergone surgery to fix a herniated disc in his back. Scherzer is now expected to be out of action until June or July of next year.

“After returning to my offseason home in Florida, my discomfort in my back continued to get worse,” Scherzer said in a statement released by the team. “During this time, I received a diagnosis of a herniated disc. After several conservative treatments and consulting with multiple specialists, I made the decision to have the recommended surgery.

“Getting this procedure done now will give me the best chance to pitch as much as possible for the Rangers in 2024,” Scherzer continued on. “I look forward to putting in the rehab work and getting back on the mound next summer.”

The 39-year-old Scherzer suffered through an injury-plagued last few months of the 2023 campaign. He dealt with forearm and shoulder issues that caused him to miss several starts at the end of the regular season. After missing the entire ALDS with the shoulder problem, Scherzer returned to make three postseason starts for the Rangers before ultimately suffering a back injury (video here) that forced them to remove him from the World Series roster.

The three-time Cy Young winner Scherzer, who will be entering his 17th MLB campaign in 2024, is owed $43.3M next year before his contract expires. His back surgery throws the Rangers rotation into further disarray with Jacob deGrom also expected to be out until mid-2024 after his Tommy John surgery and another recent pitching addition set to be unavailable to start the year. It would not be surprising to see the defending champions sign another starting pitcher or two in free agency.