39-year-old Texas Rangers right-hander Max Scherzer is preparing for a minor league rehab start on Wednesday, following back surgery during the offseason. This will be his first game action since the surgery.
Scherzer will start for Triple-A Round Rock against Salt Lake at home. The plan is for him to throw around 50 pitches against the Los Angeles Angels’ affiliate team, after throwing 40 pitches in a simulated game last Friday. Both Rangers manager Bruce Bochy and Scherzer are on board with this plan.
Last summer, Scherzer was traded to the Rangers and went 4-2 with a 3.20 ERA in eight starts before missing the rest of the regular season and the initial playoff rounds due to a strained muscle in his right shoulder. With 3,367 career strikeouts, he is the leader among active pitchers, ahead of Justin Verlander by 21 strikeouts. Scherzer also ranks second in wins and games started among active pitchers.
