Ace In A Hole? Texas Rangers' Max Scherzer, at 40, Frustrated, But Unconcerned By Arm Fatigue

"I feel like I'm really close," Max Scherzer said after a four-inning start on Tuesday. He says his arm just needs an extra day of rest.

ST. LOUIS — Max Scherzer isn't concerned. He's just being cautious.

The Texas Rangers right-hander told manager Bruce Bochy after the fourth inning Tuesday that he was feeling arm fatigue again and needed to come out.

"I told them my triceps gassed, velo was down to 90-91," said Scherzer, who turned 40 on Saturday. "That's a telltale sign you're in imminent danger. I'm done."

Scherzer, however, isn't concerned about his viability for the rest of 2024. He just needs an extra day off, he said, to get over this hump, which he chalks up to the normal ramp up process. Scherzer had back surgery in December and did not have a normal spring training. A nerve issue that started in his right wrist and traveled up his arm, delayed his return by an extra month. He finally made his first start on June 23. Tuesday's start at Busch Stadium was his eighth. He's had to leave early in three of his past four starts, including four innings at Houston on July 14, two innings against Baltimore on July 20, and four innings against St. Louis.

"I'm not concerned because I didn't get a zing [in my arm]," he said. "I didn't do anything to strain it. I don't even have long-term concerns."

In fact, Scherzer is encouraged that his arm is close to returning to normal. "As soon as you get through this, I'm going to be back. I feel like I'm really close to being on my 'A' game, and being able to execute pitches to any lineup and feel like I can compete with everybody in this league," he said. "This isn't a stuff issue."

On Tuesday, he was fighting with his pitch location against the Cardinals, who scored a run in each of the first three innings. Scherzer threw a 1-2-3 fourth on 11 pitches, but was at 68 overall, and felt his arm tiring.

Max Scherzer on arm fatigue hitting him in the fourth tonight ... pic.twitter.com/Q0WDmMKOEX

— Stefan Stevenson (@StefanVersusTex) July 31, 2024

"I saw the dip in velocity and I could feel my arm was really getting gassed, so at that point, I knew I need to come out of the game before something bad happens," he said. "It's frustrating, but hopefully with this off day [on Thursday], I can get a little extra rest here and finally get over the hump of this. I feel like I'm really close."

"The good news is, I didn't have any zngs. That's No. 1. I didn't hurt myself. I have a pretty good feel for when my arm's right and when my arm's wrong," he said. The fatigue is unrelated to the nerve issue he had in May.

Dealing with arm issues is something Scherzer has largely escaped for much of his career. From 2009 to 2018, he made 30 or more starts, and threw more than 200 innings in six consecutive seasons. Until May, he had never been placed on the 60-day injured list.

"This whole process is foreign to me. I'm navigating this blind, I don't have any protocols of how to ramp up midseason here, so I'm trying to do this with no experience. I'm learning how to navigate this and how to manage this at the same time ramping up. I'm just learning from this and we're going to be better for it."

"I don't need to go to the IL. I just need a day here, a day there. I really feel like I would benefit from that. So the fact that I am getting an off day on this turn [through the rotation] really should help. A sixth day is going to be hugely beneficial."

You can follow Stefan Stevenson on X @StefanVersusTex.

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