Max Scherzer injury: Rangers star will miss months of 2024 MLB season after herniated disc surgery

Texas Rangers right-hander Max Scherzer underwent surgery to treat a herniated disc on Thursday and will be sidelined until June or July, GM Chris Young announced confirmed Friday. Scherzer had several starts pushed back or skipped entirely this past season because of a recurring back injury.

“After returning to my offseason home in Florida, my discomfort in my back continued to get worse. During this time, I received a diagnosis of a herniated disc,” Scherzer said in a statement. “After several conservative treatments and consulting with multiple specialists, I made the decision to have the recommended surgery. Getting this procedure done now will give me the best chance to pitch as much as possible for the Rangers in 2024. I look forward to putting in the rehab work and getting back on the mound next summer.”

Between Scherzer, Jacob deGrom, and the recently signed Tyler Mahle, Texas has three high-end starters who won’t pitch until the second half of 2024 at the earliest. DeGrom and Mahle are both working their way back from Tommy John surgery. Here is the club’s current rotation depth chart using healthy pitchers only:

1. RHP Nathan Eovaldi
2. RHP Jon Gray
3. RHP Dane Dunning
4. LHP Andrew Heaney
5. LHP Cody Bradford
6. RHP Owen White

Jordan Montgomery, who finished last season with the Rangers, remains unsigned as a free agent. A reunion would make sense and that was true even before Scherzer’s surgery. That said, Young recently cautioned the team will not spend as aggressively as in previous offseasons, in part because the team’s local television deal with Bally Sports is in jeopardy.

“There’s uncertainty with what the rights fees are and will be going forward and we, obviously, have a responsibility to be financially prudent,” Young said at last week’s Winter Meetings (via the Dallas Morning News). “That said, ownership has been amazing with the resources they have provided us and continue to provide us. We expect to be active in free agency, but probably not spending at the level that we have spent in previous offseasons.”

Diamond Sports Group, which runs the Bally Sports networks, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this year. Bally Sports dropped the San Diego Padres and NL champion Arizona Diamondbacks during the season, at which point MLB took over their broadcasts on a temporary basis. The Rangers are among the clubs Bally Sports could drop next.

Because of that, lower cost free agents like Michael Lorenzen could be targets instead. The trade market offers names like Shane Bieber, Corbin Burnes, and Dylan Cease. Clearly though, the Rangers need to reinforce their pitching with Scherzer now sidelined. At minimum, they could use an innings-eater to stabilize the back of the rotation until their injured pitchers return.

Scherzer, 39, joined the Rangers in a deadline trade with the New York Mets. He made only eight regular season starts with Texas because of back trouble and a September teres major muscle strain, though Scherzer was able to make three postseason starts and help the Rangers win the franchise’s first ever World Series championship.  

As part of the trade Scherzer agreed to not use his opt out clause this offseason. He is owed $43.3 million in 2024, though the Rangers are only on the hook for $12.5 million. The Mets are paying the other $30.8 million. In exchange, New York received top prospect Luisangel Acuña in the trade. Luisangel is Ronald’s younger brother.