Things are going downhill in a hurry for the reigning World Series champion Texas Rangers. Entering their Monday night contest against the Boston Red Sox, their record sits at 55-63 — 7.5 games back of the Houston Astros for the AL West division lead and 10 games back of the Kansas City Royals for the third wild card spot. The Rangers have simply been ravaged by injuries, with veteran starter Max Scherzer being one of their players who hasn't had an ideal 2024 season.
Scherzer, who is now 40 years of age, landed on the 15-day injured list back on August 2 due to fatigue. However, his stint on the IL will exceed 15 days, as Rangers general manager Chris Young said that the veteran pitcher will be returning to Texas ahead of their three-game set against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park to “get his fatigued right shoulder checked out”.
Max Scherzer has been limited to eight starts this season; while age might be playing a factor in his reduced durability, the competitor in him is understandably irked that he could not be out there for the Rangers on the mound as they try to salvage what's left of a 2024 season that's rapidly getting away from them.
“I know he's frustrated, but [he] just hasn't turned the corner with his shoulder. Our hope is that maybe we get back and explore some other diagnostic measures and get him back on the mound. But I don't know what the timetable is going to be,” Young said, via ESPN.
At this point, Father Time may be Max Scherzer's greatest opponent in his recovery from injury. The Rangers cannot afford to rush him back, as doing so may put the 40-year-old in the way of further harm. And with the Rangers falling off the pace in the playoff race, they don't exactly have a justifiable reason to bring him back if he's not 100 percent healthy.
Max Scherzer typifies the Rangers' World Series defense season from hell
Max Scherzer, much like the Rangers, was off to a slow start in 2024. Scherzer only began pitching this season in June after undergoing back surgery in the offseason, and when he was healthy, he put up an ERA of 3.89 in 39.1 innings, showing that he still has plenty of gas left in the tank despite his age.
The Rangers (similar to Scherzer) looked like they were coming into their own in the middle of 2024. Prior to the trade deadline, the AL West division lead was within reach. But like the 40-year-old starter, they ran into some problems following the trade deadline. Since July 31, the Rangers have gone 3-7; meanwhile, Scherzer hasn't pitched past July 30 after grinding through a difficult start against the St. Louis Cardinals.
It's now very unlikely for the Rangers to make it to the postseason in 2024. Their playoff odds, according to Fangraphs, currently sit at 1.6 percent. But even that small figure may not do their woes justice; Nathan Eovaldi, one of the team's more reliable starters, is also going through some injury problems of his own.
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