Max Scherzer Nearing Return; deGrom Throwing Off Mound
The Rangers dropped their fourth consecutive game in an ugly 14-2 drubbing at the hands of the Mets tonight. That continues a tough month-long stretch that has dropped the defending World Series champions six games below .500.
To the extent there’s a silver lining of Monday for Ranger fans, it’s that the team provided some good news on the injury front. Manager Bruce Bochy told reporters that Max Scherzer’s next start will come at the major league level (X link via Jeff Wilson of Rangers Today). While Bochy didn’t specify a date for the future Hall of Famer’s season debut, it seems likely to fall during this weekend’s series against the Royals.
A herniated disc sent Scherzer to the operating table last December. The initial recovery timeline called for a June or July return. Scherzer seemed to be ahead of schedule early in the year before discomfort in his right thumb slowed his progress. The three-time Cy Young winner restarted a rehab stint on June 9. He pitched twice with Triple-A Round Rock, logging 79 pitches across 4 2/3 innings on Saturday.
Texas has a starting five of Nathan Eovaldi, Jon Gray, Michael Lorenzen, Dane Dunning and Andrew Heaney. Unless Texas opts for a six-man rotation, Scherzer’s return will bump someone from that group to the bullpen. It certainly won’t be Eovaldi or Gray. The Rangers signed Lorenzen to fill a sixth starter/swing role, but he has turned in a 2.86 ERA while working six innings per appearance through 11 starts. Even with middling strikeout and walk numbers, Lorenzen has probably pitched his way into a long-term rotation spot.
Heaney, who’ll take the ball against the Mets on Wednesday, has started 13 of 14 appearances. The southpaw owns a 4.19 ERA with a decent 21.4% strikeout percentage and a strong 6.2% walk rate — similar numbers to those he turned in during his first season in Arlington. Dunning has had a tougher go this season, allowing 4.73 earned runs per nine. While his 26.7% strikeout rate narrowly leads Texas starters, the University of Florida product has issued walks at an uncharacteristic 11.6% clip while struggling with the home run ball.
Scherzer has been joined on the injured list all season by Tyler Mahle and Jacob deGrom. Mahle began facing hitters earlier this month as he works back from last May’s Tommy John procedure. deGrom, who underwent the same surgery in early June 2023, isn’t too far behind. He hit a milestone in his rehab on Monday, throwing off a mound for the first time in 12 months (X link via Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News). deGrom has been targeting a return to MLB action at some point in August.
Rangers Notes: Smith, Scherzer, Sborz
Rangers utility man Josh Smith has been one of the club’s most potent offensive players this year, slashing an excellent .294/.384/.436 in 243 trips to the plate while primarily splitting time between third base and shortstop. That performance has been good for an excellent wRC+ of 137, although Smith’s elevated .358 BABIP and relatively pedestrian .311 xwOBA both indicate there may be some good fortune baked into those results.
However lucky Smith’s results may be, it appears that he’s earned himself more playing time going forward. While Smith has found himself sidelined in recent days, manager Bruce Bochy told reporters (including Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News) that Smith has been dealing with “general tightness” but that he’s played himself into a regular role with the club when healthy. It’s fairly easy to see why the club would commit more playing time to Smith going forward, as well. After all, that aforementioned 137 wRC+ is ten points ahead of shortstop Corey Seager for the team lead.
What perhaps makes things a little bit more complicated for Smith is that third baseman Josh Jung is on the verge of a rehab assignment and figures to get regular at-bats of his own upon returning to the lineup. With Jung and Seager set to play virtually every day on the left side of the infield, Smith’s most common positions figure to no longer be available to him. Even so, there’s plenty of room for improvement in a Rangers lineup that ranks just 23rd in the majors with a 93 wRC+ this year. Smith has some experience in the outfield, and all four of Evan Carter, Wyatt Langford, Adolis Garcia, and Leody Taveras have underperformed to varying degrees this year at the plate. That should make it fairly simple to work Smith into the outfield and DH mix on a regular basis, though Grant also suggests that Smith could take some reps at first base over Nathaniel Lowe.
In other Rangers news, veteran ace Max Scherzer threw 79 pitched for Triple-A Round Rock last night, striking out eight batters while allowing three runs across 4 2/3 innings of work. Bochy indicated to reporters (including Josh Kirshenbaum of MLB.com) prior to Scherzer’s start that it could be his final rehab appearance before returning to the majors if all went well. Barring some sort of setback for Scherzer in the aftermath of last night’s start, it appears he could be back in the Rangers rotation later this week.
The veteran right-hander’s return to the majors should offer a huge boost to a Texas club that has dealt with a number of injuries in their starting rotation this year. Jacob deGrom, Tyler Mahle, and Cody Bradford are all currently on the 60-day IL alongside Scherzer, and the club has also spent time without each of Nathan Eovaldi, Jon Gray, Dane Dunning, and Michael Lorenzen due to injury this season. Left-hander Andrew Heaney began the campaign in the bullpen but was almost immediately moved into the rotation due to injuries; upon Scherzer’s return, he and Lorenzen appear to be the most likely candidates to join fellow swing man Jose Urena in the club’s relief corps.
While Scherzer appears to be wrapping up his rehab assignment, another hurler is on the verge of beginning a rehab assignment of his own: right-hander Josh Sborz, who has been sidelined since April by a rotator cuff strain. As noted on MLB.com’s Injury Tracker, Sborz is set to begin a rehab assignment with Round Rock today. If the righty is nearing a return to the bullpen, he could provide a shot in the arm for a Rangers bullpen that ranks sixth from the bottom among all major league clubs.
Sborz had a 1.69 ERA and 2.96 FIP in seven appearances prior to his placement on the IL this year, and while the righty struggled to a 5.50 ERA in 2023, much of that was due to an unbelievably low 56.2% strand rate. Sborz’s 30.7% strikeout rate, 3.75 FIP, 3.35 xERA, and 3.05 SIERA all point to the righty’s ability to be an impactful relief arm for the Rangers. Texas is currently relying on a combination of Kirby Yates, David Robertson, and Jose Leclerc in the late innings.
West Notes: Miller, Kershaw, Graterol, Scherzer
The Dodgers have suffered more than their fair share of injuries this season, but they have received several positive updates in recent days. For one, young right-hander Bobby Miller could soon rejoin the rotation. After a strong rookie season in 2023, Miller has missed most of his sophomore campaign with a shoulder injury. However, his latest rehab appearance last Friday went well, and afterward, manager Dave Roberts suggested Miller could be ready to return without another rehab start – although, as more time passes without an update, it seems that Miller will likely make one final rehab start after all (per MLB.com)
Miller allowed seven runs on 11 hits and six walks over 11 2/3 innings across his first three starts in 2024 before landing on the IL. However, he is coming off a breakout 2023 season in which he pitched to a 3.76 ERA and 3.93 SIERA over 22 starts (124 1/3 innings). Still just 25 years old, he looks to be a fixture in the Dodgers rotation for years to come.
The Dodgers currently have a starting five of Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Gavin Stone, James Paxton, and Walker Buehler, so they don’t need to rush Miller back from the IL. That said, with no off days in their schedule until June 23, the Dodgers could certainly use a sixth starter to help shoulder the workload.
More injury updates from around the NL and AL West…
- Sticking with Dodgers starting pitchers, Clayton Kershaw could soon begin a minor league rehab assignment of his own. The long-time Dodgers ace has yet to pitch this season after undergoing shoulder surgery last November. However, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reported on Saturday that Kershaw was scheduled to throw a third simulated game, and after that, he could be ready to start a rehab assignment. This seems to put him on track to come back sometime next month. “Sometime in July” was always considered the earliest possible timeline for Kershaw’s return.
- Meanwhile, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register reports that reliever Brusdar Graterol will throw a bullpen session this week. The right-hander has been out since spring training with a shoulder injury, and he suffered a setback in late April, forcing him to shut down his throwing program. Graterol played a key role in the Dodgers bullpen last season, pitching to a 1.20 ERA and 3.31 SIERA over 68 appearances, racking up seven saves, 19 holds, and leading the pitching staff in Win Probability Added (WPA).
- Finally, moving over to the American League, Max Scherzer could rejoin the Rangers rotation as soon as next week (per Jeff Wilson of Rangers Today). The three-time Cy Young winner is scheduled to make a third rehab start on Friday, after which he could be ready to return to the majors. His second rehab appearance went well, and barring a setback, his outing with Triple-A Round Rock on Friday could be the last rehab start he needs. Wilson reports that Scherzer could make his 2024 debut as early as June 19, although he suggests the Rangers could opt to give Scherzer some extra rest, pushing his start back to June 21.
Rangers Notes: Scherzer, Gray, Jung
TODAY: Scherzer began his rehab assignment today, tossing 53 pitches over four scoreless innings for Triple-A Round Rock. As noted by Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News, Scherzer’s sinker was averaging 93mph, and he threw the pitch 22 times among his 53 overall offerings while allowing only one hit and one walk in the five-strikeout outing. The Rangers plan to build Scherzer up to a 75-pitch count before evaluating whether or not he might be ready to return to the majors.
JUNE 8: The Rangers activated right-hander Jon Gray from the 10-day injured list this afternoon, just over two weeks after he was initially shelved due to a groin strain. That quick turnaround has left Gray not fully stretched out to start, and Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News wrote this afternoon that the right-hander would be eased back into his role with the club in a relief role before later rejoining the starting mix. According to Grant, the decision to first use Gray in relief before adding him back to the rotation mix his next time up allowed the Rangers to skip a minor league rehab stint for the 32-year-old hurler.
That plan came to pass this evening, as Gray pitched 2 1/3 scoreless frames in relief of Andrew Heaney during this evening’s loss to the Giants. Regardless of the role he’s pitching in, Gray’s return figures to provide a huge boost to the Rangers pitching staff. After all, the righty boasted a 2.21 ERA and 2.52 FIP in 57 frames at the time of his placement on the IL with a solid 23.7% strikeout rate and a 44.4% groundball rate that represents his best work since joining the Rangers prior to the 2021 season. With starters Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, Cody Bradford, and Tyler Mahle all currently in the midst of lengthy absences, Gray’s speedy return from the shelf figures to be key for the Rangers as they look to get themselves back into the hunt for the postseason. The club has scuffled in recent weeks and currently sports a 30-34 record that puts them five games back of the Mariners for the AL West crown and three games out of the final AL Wild Card spot.
Fortunately, Gray isn’t the only key player who could return from injury in the near future. Grant also relays that third baseman Josh Jung, who has been shelved for the majority of the season due to a broken wrist, has begun taken live batting practice and could be slated for a rehab assignment as soon as this coming Tuesday. Grant adds that Rangers brass are expected to set a schedule for Jung tomorrow that could firm up those plans.
Jung made it into just four games with the Rangers before he was sidelined this year, but he was hitting a scorching .412/.474/.941 in that microscopic sample size before the injury put him out of action. Since the start of Jung’s 2023 campaign, he’s been a well above average offensive contributor for Texas at third base with a .271/.320/.483 slash line, 26 doubles, and 25 home runs in 534 trips to the plate across just 126 games. Josh Smith has performed well at the hot corner in Jung’s absence, although the 26-year-old’s return from the injured list would still improve the club’s offense by allowing the team to push Ezequiel Duran and his 92 wRC+ into a bench role.
Turning back to the pitching staff, veteran ace Max Scherzer also made progress in his rehab earlier this week, as MLB.com’s Injury Tracker notes that he threw 40-50 pitches across two innings of live batting practice earlier this week, with Scherzer himself telling reporters that he hopes to start a minor league rehab assignment soon. It’s been a rocky road to recovery for Scherzer this season as he entered the 2024 campaign projected to return from offseason back surgery around the All Star break before seemingly progressing ahead of schedule. That left him and the Rangers eyeing sometime in May for his return, although a nerve issue in Scherzer’s thumb ultimately required a cortisone shot and caused the club to shut the veteran righty down.
Now that Scherzer is throwing to hitters once again, he appears to be on a similar track to the one he was projected for at the time of his surgery, with a return later this month or in early July now a seemingly realistic target so long as he avoids additional setbacks. After being swapped from the Mets to the Rangers in exchange for Luisangel Acuna last summer, the future Hall of Famer pitched to a 3.20 ERA and 3.41 FIP in eight starts for the club down the stretch with an excellent 29.9% strikeout rate but dealt with injuries that limited both his availability and his effectiveness during the club’s postseason run that culminated in the first World Series championship in franchise history. Looking ahead, his return to action should further bolster the pitching staff in Texas while allowing the Rangers to shift the likes of Heaney and Jose Urena into relief after early season rotation injuries forced them into starting roles.
Rangers Select Shaun Anderson, Transfer Max Scherzer To 60-Day Injured List
The Rangers announced they’ve selected right-hander Shaun Anderson onto the MLB roster. Texas optioned Jack Leiter back to Triple-A Round Rock in a corresponding move. To create a 40-man roster spot, the Rangers transferred Max Scherzer from the 15-day to the 60-day injured list in what is essentially a procedural transaction.
Anderson caught on with Texas on a minor league contract last month. It marked his second stint in the organization, as he spent a couple weeks in the system in 2021 when the Rangers claimed him off waivers. They waived him themselves before getting him into a major league game, but Anderson could now get a shot to make his team debut.
If he does, it’ll be the 29-year-old’s first major league action since 2022. He made one appearance for the Blue Jays that season. Anderson opened last season in Korea and finished the year in Triple-A with the Phillies. He has made four starts for Round Rock over the past few weeks, turning in a 2.53 ERA over 21 1/3 innings. The Florida product has punched out 26.2% of opponents against a tidy 4.8% walk rate to earn his way back to the big leagues.
Anderson has pitched in parts of four MLB seasons overall. Most of his experience came with the Giants as a rookie back in 2019. He has seen more limited action divided between San Francisco, Minnesota, San Diego, Baltimore and Toronto since then. Anderson owns a 5.84 ERA over 135 2/3 career innings. His 17.1% strikeout percentage and 9.9% walk rate are each a little worse than the respective league averages. Anderson has a stronger Triple-A track record, totaling a 3.80 ERA in 270 1/3 frames at that level. He still has an option remaining, so the Rangers can move him between Arlington and Round Rock without exposing him to waivers now that he’s on the 40-man roster.
Texas essentially had an open 40-man spot given Scherzer’s status. The 60-day minimum backdates to Opening Day, so he’ll be eligible for reinstatement in around two weeks time. It doesn’t appear as if he’ll be ready before then. While Scherzer once seemed on track for a mid-May return following his offseason back surgery, his timetable has been delayed by thumb soreness. Scherzer received a cortisone shot over the weekend to address nerve irritation.
The future Hall of Famer told reporters today that he has recently undergone imaging on his triceps, elbow and neck (X link via Jeff Wilson of Rangers Today). That came back clean and he is set to resume throwing. He’ll need to build back for another minor league rehab assignment, though, so he’s unlikely to be ready for MLB action before the start of June.
Max Scherzer Receives Cortisone Shot Due To Nerve Irritation
Rangers right-hander Max Scherzer has spent the season to this point on the injured list while rehabbing from offseason back surgery. While it appeared earlier this season that the 39-year-old hurler would be able to return to action ahead of schedule, and perhaps as soon as the beginning of May, those plans were derailed by a bout of soreness in Scherzer’s right thumb that cropped up at the end of April.
Scherzer reportedly hasn’t thrown since then, and it appears that the issue is more serious than initially believed. As noted this afternoon by Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, the Rangers now believe that Scherzer is dealing with nerve irritation in his thumb, rather than the previously-diagnosed issue of ligament inflammation. Grant adds that Scherzer received a cortisone injection in his neck that provided “some immediate relief” of the discomfort, which allowed Scherzer to resume playing catch on Friday. While the club has previously indicated that Scherzer won’t resume his rehab in earnest until he’s completely pain-free, it seems that the cortisone injection has allowed him to return to some light activities. If he continues moving in the right direction, it’s possible he could begin ramping back up in the near future.
A return from Scherzer would surely provide a massive boost to the club’s rotation, which has already lost Nathan Eovaldi, Dane Dunning, and Cody Bradford to injury during the season on top of Scherzer, Jacob deGrom, and Tyler Mahle, all of whom entered the season expected to miss at least the first half of 2024. While Jon Gray, Michael Lorenzen, Andrew Heaney, and Jose Urena have done an admirable job in cobbling together solid production for the Rangers amid all the injuries, the return of any injured arm would be significant for the club.
That surely goes double for a pitcher with the resume of Scherzer, an eight-time All Star and three-time Cy Young award winner who has tallied more than 3300 strikeouts in his career and has posted ERAs below 4.00 in each of the last twelve seasons. While Scherzer struggled somewhat early in the 2023 campaign, pitching to a relatively pedestrian 4.01 ERA and 4.70 FIP through 19 starts with the Mets, he appeared rejuvenated by a trade to the Rangers down the stretch as he dominated to the tune of a 3.20 ERA in 45 innings of work while striking out a whopping 29.9% of batters faced.
While the club’s update regarding Scherzer was surely encouraging for Rangers fans, the same cannot be said about the status of right-hander Carson Coleman, who according to Grant club GM Chris Young said is “unlikely” to pitch in 2024. The 26-year-old righty joined the Rangers this past offseason by way of the Rule 5 Draft, where the club selected him from the Yankees. Coleman underwent Tommy John surgery and entered the season expected to miss at least the first half of the 2024 campaign but now appears to be ticketed for a much longer absence.
Whether Coleman manages to pitch in the majors this year or not, it seems very unlikely that he’ll manage to return quick enough to spend 90 days on the Rangers’ active roster. In the likely event that he doesn’t hit that benchmark, Coleman’s Rule 5 status will roll over into the 2025 season, meaning he must be carried on the Rangers’ active roster until at least 90 days on the active roster have been accrued. If Coleman can make a healthy return to action next season, it’s possible he’ll be an impactful arm for the Rangers out of the bullpen. The relief prospect was nothing short of dominant for the Yankees in 2022, when he pitched to a sterling 2.13 ERA in 63 1/3 innings between the High-A and Double-A levels with an incredible 37.8% strikeout rate.
Rangers Place Dane Dunning On Injured List
1:45pm: The Rangers have now made it official, announcing Dunning’s injury as a right rotator cuff strain. White was recalled and Leiter was added as the 27th man, as expected. They also activated outfielder Robbie Grossman, who they acquired from the White Sox earlier today, while optioning infielder Jonathan Ornelas.
1:30pm: The Rangers are going to place right-hander Dane Dunning on the 15-day injured list due to a shoulder issue, manager Bruce Bochy tells Kennedi Landry of MLB.com, who relayed the info on X.
It’s unclear how long the Rangers expect Dunning to be out of action, but it’s an unfortunate development for the team regardless as their rotation depth has been continually thinned out this year. The club knew that Jacob deGrom and Tyler Mahle wouldn’t be available in the first half, as both of them underwent Tommy John surgery last year. Then Max Scherzer required back surgery in the offseason, which was going to force him to miss some time as well.
Last week, Nathan Eovaldi landed on the IL due to a groin strain Cody Bradford due to a rib stress fracture. Now Dunning will follow him due to this shoulder issue. Between those two, Scherzer, deGrom and Mahle, they have a full rotation on the injured list at the moment.
That leaves Jon Gray, Michael Lorenzen and Andrew Heaney as the healthy core of the starting staff at the moment. José Ureña had been working out of the bullpen but started yesterday and threw five innings against the A’s.
The club has a double-header today, with Lorenzen taking the ball for the first contest. Jack Leiter is planned for the “27th man” and the starter for the second game, though Owen White is coming up as well, per Jeff Wilson of Rangers Today. White will seemingly be the corresponding move for Dunning’s IL placement.
With Dunning now on the shelf, the Rangers will have to decide on how they want to structure the back end of their rotation, with Ureña, White and Leiter presumably in contention for the two spots behind Gray, Lorenzen and Heaney.
Ureña has a 3.86 earned run average this year but, as mentioned, most of that has come out of the bullpen. He had a 6.45 ERA in ten starts last year and hasn’t posted an ERA below 5.00 since 2018. Leiter first major league start didn’t go especially well, with seven earned runs allowed in 3 2/3 innings. He has struck out 37% of Triple-A batters faced this year but also allowed six home runs in just 25 1/3 innings. White allowed five earned runs in four big league innings last year and currently has a 5.70 ERA in Triple-A this year.
Scherzer once seemed to be on track to return in early May but that plan has hit a snag. It was reported a week ago that he experienced some thumb soreness while on a rehab assignment and was going to be shut down for a bit. General manager Chris Young said today that Scherzer won’t throw again until the soreness is completely gone, per Wilson on X.
His rehab outing was on April 24, so he’s now two weeks removed from that. The longer his current shutdown lasts will presumably require more of a ramp-up once he is able to get back on track. As of now, that leaves him a question mark until there’s progress with the thumb soreness.
All that points to the Rangers cobbling a rotation together for a bit, until Eovaldi or Dunning are able to rejoin the mix. Despite the rotation challenges, the Rangers are 21-16 and half a game ahead of the Mariners for the division lead in the American League West.
Rangers Notes: Scherzer, Mahle, Rocker, Church
Right-hander Max Scherzer has made one rehab start already and was slated for a second one but will be delayed a few days after experiencing some soreness in his right thumb, GM Chris Young told the Rangers beat last night (X link via Kennedi Landry of MLB.com). They’re hopeful he can make his next start this week.
The 39-year-old Scherzer has spent the entire season to date on the 15-day injured list while he mends from offseason back surgery. He was excellent in eight starts down the stretch last year, pitching to a 3.20 ERA with a 29.9% strikeout rate and 8.5% walk rate following the trade that sent him from the Mets to Texas. The original thought was that Scherzer would be sidelined into June, but the Rangers held off on placing the three-time Cy Young winner on the 60-day injured list with his recovery ahead of schedule. There’s no indication that his back is providing any problems, so assuming the thumb injury proves minor, a mid-May return still feels viable.
Texas currently ranks 14th in the majors with a 3.87 ERA from the rotation. That’s thanks largely to strong showings from Nathan Eovaldi, Dane Dunning and Jon Gray — each of whom has made six starts. Left-hander Cody Bradford impressed early but has since gone on the injured list with a stress fracture in his rib. Veteran Andrew Heaney has struggled in five starts, and rookie Jack Leiter was hit hard in his big league debut. Right-hander Michael Lorenzen, who signed a late-spring one-year deal, has helped solidify things through his first three starts — but a return from Scherzer would be a substantial boon to the staff, of course.
Scherzer is just one of three veteran starters on the mend for Texas. Jacob deGrom and Tyler Mahle are both expected back later in the season. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News provides an update on Mahle’s rehab from Tommy John surgery, noting that he and Rangers prospect Kumar Rocker not only coincidentally had their Tommy John procedures performed on the same day last year but performed by the same surgeon: Dr. Keith Meister. Rocker has begun throwing all of his pitches off a mound, while Mahle is also pitching off a mound and will join his teammates on their upcoming road trip. Mahle and Rocker aren’t yet to the point where they’re facing live hitters, but each is progressing well through the rehab process.
Things aren’t going quite so well for pitching prospect Marc Church. Young revealed yesterday that the right-hander has been diagnosed with a strained rotator cuff and will be sidelined for a yet-to-be-determined period as a result of that shoulder issue (X link via Jeff Wilson of RangersToday.com).
Church, 23, was the team’s 18th-round pick back in 2019 — signing for an over-slot $300K bonus — and has emerged as a prospect of note in the Rangers’ system, ranking 22nd at MLB.com. Church has missed bats in bunches throughout his minor league tenure, fanning 34.7% of his total opponents. A former high school shortstop who didn’t begin pitching until his senior year, he draws praise for his athleticism and could yet have some untapped upside as he’s still relatively new to pitching. MLB.com’s report on him notes that he has a pair of plus-plus (70-grade) offerings when his heater and slider are at their best but lacks consistency.
Church has also begun to encounter some command troubles in the upper minors. He split last season between Double-A and Triple-A, walking a combined 14% of his opponents. He also fanned just shy of 30% of batters faced, however. Church opened the current season with a solid 4 2/3 innings out of the ‘pen before going down with his current injury. He’s already on the 40-man roster and stands as a candidate to make his big league debut in 2024, particularly after a strong spring showing: 10 2/3 innings, five hits, three runs, five walks, 14 strikeouts. If Church is able to get back on the mound without a long-term absence, he could still find his way to the big leagues this season, but it’s not entirely clear how feasible that is in light of this setback. The Rangers will presumably have more updates on the promising young righty in the weeks to come.
AL West Notes: Abreu, Scherzer, Rendon
The Astros have struggled badly to open the year as they currently sit dead last in the AL West with a 7-15 record, four games back of Seattle and Texas for the division lead. Club GM Dana Brown recently spoke to Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle regarding the club’s deep early season struggles, including commenting on the status of veteran first baseman Jose Abreu.
Abreu, 37, has hit an anemic .073/.148/.091 with a 27.9% strikeout rate and just one extra-base hit in his first 61 trips to the plate this season. While that’s a fairly small sample size, it comes on the heels of a 2023 campaign where he posted a disappointing 86 wRC+ in 141 games. Given the veteran slugger’s lack of success in an Astros uniform, Brown left the door open to the club making some changes regarding his playing time should he continue to struggle. While Brown emphasized that the club will continue to focus on getting Abreu playing time to “see if he can get hot” in the coming days, he also acknowledged that they’ll have to “circle back and make some decisions” if the veteran doesn’t show signs of improvement.
It’s an understandable stance for the club to take, though Abreu is only in the second year of his three-year, $58.5MM pact with the club. The most obvious option for the club at first base should they look to move away from Abreu is Jon Singleton, though the 32-year-old has hardly lit the world on fire himself with a .250/.333/.313 slash line in 13 games this year. Trey Cabbage and Grae Kessinger are among the other plausible options available to the club at first base currently on the 40-man roster.
More from around the AL West…
- Reporting earlier this week indicated that Rangers ace Max Scherzer is ahead of schedule as he rehabs from surgery to repair a herniated disc he underwent over the offseason, and that he was scheduled to throw 40 pitches to live hitters yesterday. According to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, that 40-pitch session went off without a hitch and Scherzer had no issues recovering today, meaning the 39-year-old veteran is now on schedule to begin a rehab assignment on Wednesday. The news is a huge shot in the arm for the club’s rotation, which has scuffled somewhat early in the season with a 4.46 FIP entering play today that placed the club ahead of only the White Sox, Rockies, and Cardinals among all major league clubs. Scherzer, who posted a 3.20 ERA and 3.40 FIP in eight starts with Texas last year, would give the club the flexibility to move an arm such as Michael Lorenzen or even Andrew Heaney to the bullpen upon his return.
- Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon exited this evening’s game against the Reds with a right hamstring injury, as relayed by MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger. Rendon sustained the injury while running out an infield single in the top of the first inning. Following the game, Rendon spoke to reporters (including Bollinger) about the injury, noting that his hamstring is feeling “not too great” in the aftermath of the game and that he was feeling some frustration about the constant injuries. Rendon, 34 in June, was once a star infielder for the Nationals and earned a seven-year deal with the Angels in free agency prior to the 2020 campaign. Unfortunately, his career has been completely derailed by injuries in recent years, with just 166 appearances and a 95 wRC+ since the start of the 2021 season. Should the injury result in another trip to the shelf for Rendon, it would be a major blow to the Angels. While the veteran infielder started the season in a 0-for-19 slump, since then he’s started to heat up with a .346/.403/.400 slash line in his last 13 games. In the event Rendon requires a trip to the injured list, the club could rely on Brandon Drury to cover third base in Rendon’s absence, with the club’s bench options, such as Aaron Hicks, Miguel Sano, and Jo Adell, handling DH.
Max Scherzer Ahead Of Schedule, Could Return In Early May
When Max Scherzer underwent surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back in December, the Rangers announced that he would likely be on the shelf into late June. A few weeks ago, GM Chris Young indicated the team wasn’t going to place Scherzer on the 60-day injured list, however, as his rehab had progressed to the point that there was optimism he could return at some point in late May. That timetable has been pushed up even further now, it seems.
Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News wrote this week that Scherzer will throw 40 pitches against live hitters Friday — his second session against live hitters this week. McFarland spoke with Scherzer following his first session, wherein he faced Ezequiel Duran, Andrew Knizner and Davis Wendzel. The three-time Cy Young winner said he threw all his pitches and “stepped on it” in that first session. In a video piece for FOX Sports, Ken Rosenthal reports the Rangers are hoping Scherzer will be ready as soon as early May.
It’s a fairly remarkable recovery and a welcome bit of good news for a Rangers club that opened the year with Scherzer, Jacob deGrom and Tyler Mahle on the injured list — only to lose lefty Cody Bradford to an IL stint of his own after an excellent three-start run to begin his season. Texas called former No. 2 overall pick Jack Leiter to the big leagues today, but his debut effort didn’t go as hoped; Leiter was tagged for seven runs in just 3 2/3 innings. The Rangers have also seen veteran lefty Andrew Heaney yield nine runs in a dozen innings with particularly worrying command issues: seven walks and three hit batters.
The ostensible hope among Rangers brass for much of the offseason was that in-house arms like Nathan Eovaldi, Jon Gray, Dane Dunning and the aforementioned Bradford could help patch things together until veterans deGrom, Scherzer and Mahle returned. Though lefty Jordan Montgomery was hopeful of a return to the Rangers in free agency, ownership never seemed inclined to dole out a contract matching the magnitude of his asking price — either in total length/dollars or on a per-year basis once it became clear he was amenable to shorter-term arrangement. Texas did make a late move to add Michael Lorenzen at a bargain $4.5MM price point, and he’s recently joined the rotation after building up in Triple-A.
For now, the quartet of Eovaldi, Gray, Dunning and Lorenzen seem set in stone. It’s not clear whether Leiter will get another start or was merely called up for a one-off appearance. Regardless of the short-term plans, if Scherzer is indeed able to return in the first week or two of May, that could push both Leiter and Heaney out of the rotation mix, barring injuries elsewhere on the staff.
Scherzer, 39, is in the final season of a three-year, $130MM contract originally signed with the Mets. He’s owed $43.333MM this season, though the Rangers are only on the hook for $12.5MM of that sum as part of last July’s trade sending him from Queens to Arlington. Though not the clear-cut No. 1 starter he once was, Scherzer wasn’t far off vintage form following that deadline swap. In eight starts with the Rangers, he pitched to a 3.20 ERA with a 29.9% strikeout rate and 8.5% walk rate. He also missed the final three weeks of the season with a teres major strain, however, and struggled in three postseason starts upon returning (seven runs, 11 hits, five walks, seven strikeouts in 9 2/3 innings).