Texas Rangers Pitcher Max Scherzer to Miss Remainder of Season

Texas Rangers pitcher Max Scherzer to miss remainder of season

Veteran pitcher Max Scherzer won't play the remainder of the regular season for the Texas Rangers due to a muscle injury and is doubtful he'll be on the mound in the postseason .

The Rangers have not qualified for the playoffs since the 2016 season. They currently hold one of the American League's three wild-card spots but lost one of their most reliable pitchers late in the season.

The Rangers have won five straight and are also in contention for the division title with 17 games remaining in the regular season. Only 1.5 games separate the top three teams in the AL West.

The defending World Series champion Houston Astros (83-64) are one game ahead of the second-place Rangers (81-64). The Seattle Mariners (81-65) ranked third, 1.5 games behind the first-place Astros. The Rangers are half a game ahead of the Mariners.

If the season ended today, the Tampa Bay Rays would have the first AFC Wild Card berth. The Rangers and Mariners will also advance to the playoffs as wild-card teams. The Toronto Blue Jays (80-66) are on the playoff bubble but are just 1 game behind the Mariners and 1.5 games behind the Rangers.

Sharp Scherzer 4-2 before injury

Scherzer is a right-handed starter who turned 39 in July. As a pitcher for both teams, he has a 13-6 record this season. He had a 3.77 EA, a 1.12 WHIP, and struck out 174 batters.

Scherzer joined the Rangers in a trade with the New York Mets before the late July trade deadline. Scherzer went 4-2 with a 3.20 ERA and 0.96 WHIP in eight starts with the Rangers.

Scherzer exited the game from the start against the Blue Jays. In the sixth inning, he felt tightness near his shoulder and left the game. He underwent an MRI scan, which revealed a slight strain on the teres major muscle that connects the scapula to the humerus.

According to team physician Keith Meister, Scherzer will not require surgery. His injuries could only improve with rest and treatment.

A similar serious muscle injury would take at least four weeks to heal, and Scherzer will miss the remainder of the regular season. He is expected to miss the start of the postseason if the Rangers can beat the Blue Jays and retain a wild-card spot.

“I don’t want to rule it out (the playoffs) right now,” Young added. "We'll see what happens over the next two weeks and how he feels. That's probably unlikely, though."

Next Man: Andrew Heaney or Martin Perez

The Rangers are eager to replenish their roster after star player Jacob deGrom suffered an elbow injury early in the season. DeGrom underwent Tommy John surgery and the Rangers targeted Scherzer at the trade deadline.

Scherzer started the season with the Mets and even served a 10-game suspension for using illegal substances.

The Mets have high expectations heading into the season after filling out their roster with top free agents. They started slowly, stumbled out of the gate, and never formed a team.

When the Mets realized their underperforming team was about to miss the playoffs, they went on a fire sale at the trade deadline. They retained slugger Pete Alonso but expelled the rest of the team.The Mets traded Justin Verlander to the Astros, then sent his teammate Scherzer to the Rangers.

The Rangers emerged as a buyer at the trade deadline, signing left-handed starter Jordan Montgomery in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Rangers' current rotation includes Montgomery (9-11), Nathan Eovaldi (11-4), Dane Dunning (10-6) and Jon Gray (8-7 burden). Head coach Bruce Bochy must decide who will replace Scherzer for the final 17 games and playoffs. Andrew Heaney (10-6, 4.10 ERA) and Martin Perez (9-4, 4.74), both left-handers, compete for the final spot in the rotation.

Rangers bet on the straight

The AL West title may come in the final series of the regular season. The Rangers and Mariners met seven times in the final 10 games of the season, including four at home in Texas last weekend.

Meanwhile, four teams are vying for the final three American League wild-card spots. The AL East and AL West each have three teams within striking distance of a playoff spot. However, only one of the two competing divisions can send three teams to the playoffs. The Astros are the betting favorite to win the AL West at -175, followed by the Mariners (+300) and the Rangers (+400).

According to DraftKings betting, the Rangers have a -430 chance of making the playoffs. You can be sure they'll miss the playoffs at +360 odds.FanGraphs projects the Rangers to have a 65.7% chance of winning as a wild card and a 13.4% chance of winning the division. Their overall probability of advancing to the playoffs is 79.1%.

The Rangers have +700 odds to win the AL pennant and +1,500 odds to win the 2023 World Series, making them the eighth-highest favorite on DraftKings' MLB Futures Board.FanGraphs estimates the Rangers' chances of winning the World Series at 2.9%.

The Rangers are one of six Major League Baseball (MLB) teams that have never won a World Series. They were founded in 1961 as the Washington Senators, an expansion team, before moving to suburban Dallas in 1971 and changing their name to the Texas Rangers.

In 2010 and 2011, the Rangers reached the World Series in two consecutive seasons under head coach Ron Washington, but finished second both years.