Max Scherzer, Rangers' big trade deadline acquisition, likely out for season with injury

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The Texas Rangers were the darlings of the baseball world in the first half, but amid their current skid, they lost an ace.

The team has been able to avoid doldrums after Jacob deGrom had Tommy John surgery, but their rotation has taken another hit at the worst time.

Just weeks shy of October baseball, Max Scherzer, whom the team acquired from the New York Mets at the trade deadline, is "unlikely" to pitch for the rest of the season, including the postseason, the team said on Wednesday.

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Texas Rangers starting pitcher Max Scherzer stretches his arm as he leaves the team's baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays with an injury during the sixth inning Tuesday, September 12, 2023, in Toronto.  (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

Scherzer left his start on Tuesday night with what was revealed to be a strain in his teres major (near the armpit).

Texas acquired Scherzer near the trade deadline when they were in first place in the AL West. However, in recent weeks, they have been struggling. 

The Rangers have lost 16 of their last 22 games, and entering play Wednesday, they held a wild card spot by just half a game. They once led the division by 6.5 games, but both the Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners have come alive.

Scherzer’s tenure with the Mets, though short, produced a solid 2022 campaign. He owned a 2.29 ERA over 145.1 innings with 173 strikeouts and an 11-5 record. 

Max Scherzer, #31 of the Texas Rangers, meets with trainers and coaches on the mound before leaving the game in the sixth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on September 12, 2023, in Toronto, Canada.  (Cole Burston/Getty Images)

However, in his lone postseason start for the team, he allowed seven runs in 4.2 innings against the San Diego Padres, giving up four home runs at Citi Field in his outing as well. When he returned to Citi Field as a new member of the Rangers, he was booed mercilessly.

He struggled with New York this year, but since joining the Rangers, Scherzer, 39, had pitched to a 3.20 ERA (16 earned runs/45.0 innings).

Scherzer was the second pitcher to go from the Mets to the Rangers since the offseason - they signed deGrom, who became one of the game's best pitchers in Queens, to a five-year, $185 million deal this offseason. The Mets were forced to pivot to Justin Verlander, but amid their disappointing season, they shipped him back to Houston.

Max Scherzer, #31 of the Texas Rangers, leaves the game in the sixth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on September 12, 2023, in Toronto, Canada. (Cole Burston/Getty Images)

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Scherer is signed through next year, in which he will make another $43.3 million.