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ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The World Series champion Texas Rangers have two multiple Cy Young Award winners who could return to the rotation in the middle of summer.
Three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer said Saturday. He is progressing well from December surgery to repair a herniated disc in his lower back.Meanwhile, two-time champion Jacob deGrom is expected to resume pitching this spring after elbow surgery that ended his Rangers debut after just six starts.
“When we get us back here, hopefully around the trade deadline, it’s like picking up some guys,” deGrom said at the team’s annual Fan Fest.
Scherzer was acquired by the Rangers at the trade deadline last summer and started eight games, posting a 4-2 record with a 3.20 ERA, but missed the final two weeks of the regular season and the first two of the playoffs due to a muscle strain. Missed the round. his right shoulder. He made two starts in the American League Championship Series, but sat out the rest of the season. Forced to start in Game 3 of the World Series Back discomfort after three innings ultimately led to surgery on December 15th.
“We won the World Series, so everything is great,” Scherzer said. “You have to maintain a glass-half-full mindset when it comes to this.”
The 39-year-old right-hander said he went to see a doctor shortly after the season ended, and an MRI scan showed he had mild inflammation in his back. Scherzer said he began to feel better before he felt nerve pain in his leg, then received two epidural injections and another MRI scan that revealed a herniated disc.
“I wasn’t doing anything. It’s like saying it was actually jumping off a boat or something,” Scherzer said. “I’m literally wandering around chasing kids. That was the maximum extent of what I was doing.”
Scherzer said he made it through the critical six post-surgery weeks without complications.
“Right now, we’re getting ready to get back into shape, while also figuring out how to prepare our arms for bending and lifting, which is the biggest concern.” he said.
His 3,367 strikeouts are the most among active pitchers. He started 27 games for the New York Mets and Rangers last season, posting a 13-6 record with a 3.77 ERA and 174 strikeouts in 152 2/3 innings. as part of a July 30 trade to Texas.Scherzer will exercise his 2024 option and the Mets will pay Texas $30,833,334, leaving Texas’ pitching cost at $12.5 million.
Former Mets star deGrom was traded to Texas last offseason on a $185 million, five-year contract with a conditional option to extend in 2028 after elbow surgery limited him to 30 1/3 innings. The Rangers won all six games he started, and he went 2-0 with a 2.67 ERA and 45 strikeouts. If he didn’t win at least three of those games, he would have missed the playoffs.
DeGrom, 35, said he has begun a plyometric training program that must be completed before he can resume pitching at some point this spring.
“My arm feels great,” he said. “That’s the smart thing to do. You don’t have to push yourself too hard just because you want to keep pitching here for years to come. So every time that time comes, you have to consider what’s the best plan going forward.” there is.”
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APMLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
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