Rangers’ Max Scherzer says he can still pitch at a high level despite his recent injury history

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Three-time Cy Young Award winner and active strikeout leader Max Scherzer, who has made just one start for the Texas Rangers since turning 40 last month, held a session Friday of 25 shots and stated that he was injured this season. they didn’t make him reconsider whether he wanted to continue pitching.

“I was able to go out there and compete, but I wasn’t fully myself,” Scherzer said after the tournament, his first since going on the 15-day injured list two weeks ago due to shoulder fatigue. “When I was competing, I still feel like I can perform at a high level. There are still things I can do with the baseball that I can pitch at a high level.”

Scherzer (2-4, 3.89 ERA) is expected to throw a longer bullpen Sunday, but said he feels good after returning to the mound. He and the Rangers will decide after that if he needs more work or is ready to return to the rotation.

“He had a good day out there,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said. “He used everything, all his pitches and let her go. It was a good day for him.”

Scherzer has made just eight starts since his June 23 season debut after offseason back surgery and then dealing with a nerve problem in his arm.

In his last home start on July 25, two days before his 40th birthday, Scherzer allowed one run and struck out nine in six innings against the Chicago White Sox. He passed fellow three-time Cy Young winner Justin Verlander for 10th on the hit list. and ranked first among active pitchers with 3,405.

Then on July 30, the right-hander allowed three runs in four innings at St. Louis before leaving after 68 pitches. He was placed on IL on August 2nd, with the move retroactive to the day after his last start.

Scherzer is second behind Verlander among active pitchers with 456 games started and 2,874 innings pitched over 17 seasons. Still, Scherzer said his problem this year was trying to come back in the middle of a season.

“My shoulder, my arm mostly, feels really good,” Scherzer said. “I was basically trying to do spring training in the middle of the season. I have never done this before. … I think I was flying blind and trying to figure out what I could and couldn’t do. And, you know, my arm stretched a little too far in the process. And it’s like, OK, learn from it and move on and build again and let’s get ready to go.”

Bochy said Scherzer is in a good place physically.

The Rangers acquired Scherzer from the Mets in a trade at the deadline last summer after the pitcher agreed to enter the final year of his $43.3 million contract this season – New York paying $30.83 million of that to Texas.

Scherzer was limited to 23 starts in 2022 by a left oblique injury and to 27 starts last year by neck spasms and a strained right muscle. He made three more postseason starts for the Rangers en route to their first World Series title, including games in the AL Championship Series and Game 3 against Arizona before exiting after three innings due to back tightness.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb