Rangers pitchers Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer hoping for midseason return

Texas Rangers pitcher Jacob deGrom hopes to start throwing this spring. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

The reigning World Series champion Texas Rangers might find themselves with two aces in the hole by the middle of the 2024 season. Pitchers Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer are both reportedly eyeing midsummer for their returns to the mound.

DeGrom, a two-time Cy Young winner, is recovering from elbow surgery, and Scherzer is on the mend from a December procedure to correct a herniated disk in his lower back.

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Both pitchers were on hand for the Rangers’ annual FanFest and addressed their respective timetables to return to Texas’ lineup.

“When we get us back here, hopefully somewhere around the trade deadline, it’s like picking up a couple guys,” deGrom said via ESPN.

Said Scherzer: “We won the World Series, so everything’s great. You’ve got to keep the glass-half-full mentality to this.”

Texas Rangers’ Max Scherzer had surgery on a herniated disc in his lower back and will miss the start of next season for the reigning champion Texas Rangers. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

The 39-year-old, who was acquired from the New York Mets at the 2023 trade deadline, was a key part of the Rangers’ rotation in the final stretch of the season. Before missing the final two weeks of the regular season and the opening two rounds of the playoffs due to a pulled muscle in his shoulder, Scherzer went 4-2 with a 3.20 ERA in eight starts.

He was able to come back and start twice in the American League Championship Series, but his shoulder injury flared up again, and he pitched only three innings of Game 3 of the World Series. Scherzer, a three-time Cy Young winner, underwent surgery Dec. 15.

Scherzer joined deGrom in the Texas rotation after the latter inked a five-year, $185 million deal last offseason. His elbow injury limited him to six starts and 30⅓ innings for Texas before he was shut down. DeGrom went 2-0 with a 2.67 ERA and 45 strikeouts.

By spring, the 35-year-old said he plans to be throwing and explained that he needs to complete a plyometric training program prior to that. Scherzer said he’s in a good place with his recovery and got through the six-week, post-surgery period with no setbacks.