After Near Flawless Start, What Was Texas Rangers Ace Max Scherzer Telling Us About His Arm Health?

Texas Rangers right-hander Max Scherzer was exceptional in his 2024 debut on Sunday, but his postgame comments left most wondering about his viability to stay healthy.

Jun 3, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers starting pitcher Max Scherzer (31) watches from the dugout during the sixth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

ARLINGTON — Max Scherzer talks the same as he pitches. He doesn't mess around.

Since joining the Texas Rangers last summer, he has typically been candid about his health, preparation, and progress while dealing with injuries.

Scherzer's blunt honesty after Sunday's valiant return to the mound, however, understandably turned some heads and is cause for consternation among Rangers fans.

“I just don’t know how I’m going to recover from this,” Scherzer said after holding the Kansas City Royals to one hit over five scoreless innings. “That’s been the issue at hand here. The thumb issue is still still there. I do feel fatigue in my forearm."

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy appeared unalarmed by Scherzer's status after he threw 57 pitches in his first MLB start since starting Game 3 of the World Series on Oct. 30. Scherzer left because of an injury after three innings that night and had back surgery six weeks later.

Max Scherzer says the nerve issue in his throwing arm is still a thing. He doesn't know how his arm is going to respond to this start. Sounds like his situation is still precarious. pic.twitter.com/asONgmCDxV

— Stefan Stevenson (@StefanVersusTex) June 23, 2024

"It's been a long road back for him with a pretty big hiccup there," Bochy said. "What he's been battling does take somebody who is tough-minded. Just the grit that he has, along with [his] stuff, no walks, used all four pitches and he had command of them. I guess it makes you appreciate really how good this man is."

Bochy could have been underscoring his appreciation for Scherzer pitching despite a lingering nerve issue, not just the right-hander's Hall of Fame-level talent. Either way, Scherzer's arm health remains a bit of a mystery.

A nerve issue in his throwing hand in April delayed his recovery an extra month. After Sunday's start, Scherzer, who turns 40 on July 27, offered an explanation for the club's tenuous delay in announcing when he'd make his 2024 debut. No one, including Scherzer, knows how his arm will respond.

"Hopefully, I don't go backwards," Scherzer said. "Hopefully, I'm able to take this and continue to ramp up and continue to go forward. But yeah, this is still an issue at hand."

Scherzer was adamant that he has to make his next start on the typical four-days rest on Friday in Baltimore. Why he couldn't be pushed back a day was unexplained.

"There's a notion out there that I always fight to stay in ballgames — and there are some pretty good clips of me doing that — but what people don't understand is, for every time that happens, there's probably 20 other times where I'm actually telling the manager, 'I'm coming out. I need to come out of the ballgame,'" he said.

When explaining why he was done after five innings, Scherzer offered a glimpse into just how precarious his arm health remains.

"I'm very aware of my arm. I'm very aware of where I'm at and what I can and can't do," he said. "I know [I'm] going to introduce more risks if I continue to go back out there. So, we have to minimize risk at this point."

"Just increbible."
Bochy on Max Scherzer's 2024 debut. pic.twitter.com/rbQnE6GRaZ

— Stefan Stevenson (@StefanVersusTex) June 23, 2024

You can follow Stefan Stevenson on X @StefanVersusTex.

Catch up with Inside the Rangers on Facebook and X.