Max Scherzer makes Rangers’ ALCS roster after injury kept ex-Mets ace out of first two rounds
Ex-Mets ace Max Scherzer has officially worked his way back from the shoulder injury that ended his regular season early and cast doubt on a postseason return.
Scherzer made the Texas Rangers’ ALCS roster, which the team released Sunday morning, after a right teres major strain prevented the three-time Cy Young Award winner from pitching in the previous two playoff rounds.
The 39-year-old Scherzer could be in line to start Game 3 against the Houston Astros behind former Yankees pitchers Jordan Montgomery in Game 1 and Nathan Eovaldi in Game 2. Texas has not announced its starting pitching plans beyond Game 2.
The Rangers acquired Scherzer from the disappointing Mets a few days before the MLB trade deadline to help bolster a rotation that lost another former Mets ace, Jacob deGrom, to season-ending elbow surgery.
Scherzer pitched to a 4.01 ERA – his highest mark in over a decade – in 19 starts with the Mets this season before being traded to the Rangers, with whom he recorded a 3.20 ERA over eight outings. His worst start with Texas came against Houston on Sept. 6, when he surrendered seven runs in three innings.
The right-handed Scherzer only made one more regular season start for Texas – a Sept. 12 win against Toronto – before being shut down with the shoulder strain. At the time, Rangers general manager Chris Young said it was “unlikely” Scherzer would return for the playoffs.
Scherzer’s rehab went well, however, and he declared himself “ready to go” following a bullpen session Friday.
The Rangers and Astros both went 90-72 this season, but Houston claimed the AL West tiebreaker after winning the majority of the teams’ head-to-head matchups. Texas then swept the Tampa Bay Rays in the Wild Card round and the Baltimore Orioles in the ALDS.
The Mets received prized prospect Luisangel Acuna, a minor-league infielder, in the Scherzer trade. The ALCS also features another former ace, 40-year-old Justin Verlander, whom the Mets traded to the Astros in August as part of their fire sale.
Scherzer enters the ALCS with a 7-7 record and 3.58 ERA in 27 career playoff games, including 22 starts. He won a World Series with the Washington Nationals in 2019, going 1-0 in two starts against Houston in that series.
The Mets signed Scherzer to a three-year, $130 million contract before the 2022 season. He went 11-5 with a 2.29 ERA last year and lost his lone playoff start.
The Rangers also added starting pitcher Jon Gray to their ALCS roster Sunday after a lower forearm strain kept him out since Sept. 25. Gray went 9-8 with a 4.12 ERA in 29 starts this season.
Scherzer and Gray replace relievers Matt Bush and Brock Burke on the Rangers’ playoff roster.
