The Texas Rangers got great injury news on Sunday regarding pitchers Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer. Both pitchers have missed time this season, contributing to a disappointing season for the defending World Series champions. Manager Bruce Bochy told reporters Sunday that both veterans are ready to return to the mound this season.
“(deGrom)'s ready to start here,” The Rangers' manager said. “Same with Max. Both had great outings, terrific outings.”
Their rehab outings did go well, as Bouchy mentioned. deGrom specifically was fantastic. Rehabbing a UCL injury, the two-time Cy Young winner started with a great first rehab start. He continued from there, allowing four hits over 10.2 innings in his four starts. Scherzer was scratched from his first start but immediately got back on track.
Jacob deGrom is trying to kick the “injury-prone” tag that has followed him for the past four seasons. Since his second Cy Young season in 2019, he has not made more than 15 starts in a season. While one of those years was the COVID-shortened season, that is still four seasons cut short by injury. He has not pitched for the Rangers since April 28, 2023. The 36-year-old is under contract through 2027.
Scherzer is a different story, as his storied career has come to a close with a few injuries that have kept him out. He was able to pitch on the Rangers' World Series run last fall, although he was not his normal self. His contract ends after this season and, while he was not dealt at the trade deadline, could be on a different team next season.
Future of Rangers' pitching rotation
The Rangers are going to be the first defending champions to miss the playoffs since the 2011 San Francisco Giants. That is mostly because of injuries that have destroyed their roster all season long. The pitching staff has been particularly affected, including Jon Gray and Tyler Mahle. Each of those players will be back with the team next year.
The biggest decision the front office in Arlington has to make is Max Scherzer vs Kumar Rocker. The former is a first-ballot Hall of Famer but has struggled to stay healthy. The latter is a top prospect who just got promoted to AAA after a dominant AA career. Rocker was drafted third overall in 2022 after the drama that kept him from signing with the Mets after the 2021 draft.
Rocker should be considered for the final rotation spot next year instead of bringing Scherzer back. The Rangers could use that money to improve the team elsewhere and have two young arms in their rotation. Rocker's former Vanderbilt teammate Jack Flaherty has done well as a mainstay in the rotation. Pairing them together would work wonders for their rotation.
The Rangers will have playoff expectations coming into next season. They made a shocking run to the World Series and beat the Cinderella Diamondbacks to win their first championship but have not followed that up well. While it has been a difficult season with injuries in 2024, the future is still bright for the Rangers and their pitching staff.
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