Max Scherzer Hoping for Return as Texas Rangers Strengthen Playoff Position

The longer the Texas Rangers stay alive should they reach the postseason, the better the chances Max Scherzer returns from injury.

If the Texas Rangers hold on to the American League West lead – it won’t be easy – it almost certainly comes with a playoff bye into the divisional round.

That’s nearly a week off after the end of the regular season.

That extra break won’t speed up that recovery of Max Scherzer, but it does buy the Rangers more time. The longer Texas is in the playoffs, the better the chances of the future Hall of Famer coming back.

However slim those chances are.

Rangers ace Max Scherzer hasn't given up on pitching in upcoming playoffs.  / © Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Scherzer suffered a strained teres major, which is in the upper back/shoulder region, on Sept. 12. He’s on the injured list and general manager Chris Young said it’s “unlikely” Scherzer pitches in the postseason.

But not impossible. Scherzer, who is 4-2 with a 3.20 ERA with Texas, started playing catch on Tuesday.

“I’ve bottomed out and I’m on the way back up,” Scherzer said, according to the Dallas Morning News. “The minute I can get back, I’m back. I haven’t given up on the season. When the [shoulder] is ready, I’ll be ready. But there is no real timeline.”

The typical recovery time for this type of injury is 8-12 weeks.

The Rangers lead the AL West by 1.5 games over the Houston Astros going into Sunday and have a 60% chance of winning the division, per FanGraphs. Should Texas hold on, it would mean the No. 2 seed in the AL.

The top two seeds bypass the Wild Card round (Oct. 3-5) and move on to the ALDS (Oct. 7-13). The divisional round comes at about the four-week mark of Scherzer being injured.

That’s probably too soon to hope for a return. The ALCS is Oct. 15-23, which is nearly the six-week mark if the series goes the distance.

If the Rangers are still alive without Scherzer, the World Series starts Oct. 27 and goes until Nov. 4 if all seven games are needed. That still falls within the eight-week window, casting doubt on a miraculous Scherzer return.

Texas has been fortunate with faster-than-expected recoveries from Jonah Heim, Jonah Heim and Adolis García lately, so why not Scherzer?

He hasn’t given up hope yet.

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