Texas Rangers Options to Replace Max Scherzer in Rotation

The Texas Rangers have a spot to fill in their rotation with the injury to Max Scherzer, and they have a few options.

Texas Rangers pitcher Max Scherzer can take some comfort that the strained teres major suffered Tuesday night isn’t more serious.

“In some ways, I was almost relieved that it's not worse,” Scherzer said to reporters in Toronto on Wednesday. “It's not surgery. Talking about the doctors, I fully expect to make a full recovery.”

Scherzer is done for the regular season. The Rangers aren’t ruling him out for the postseason, but general manager Chris Young called the prospect “unlikely.”

In retrospect, it’s probably fortunate that the Rangers only gave up prospect Luisangel Acuña to get the 39-year-old future Hall of Famer in late July. Scherzer is also committed to the Rangers for the 2024 season.

Now the Rangers have to chart a path forward without him as they chase the American League West-leading Houston Astros and try to stay in the Wild Card race.

If there’s any good news, it’s that the Rangers don’t have to make a decision until Sunday at the latest, which would have been Scherzer’s next turn in the rotation.

Also, the Rangers have options — three in fact.

The Rangers could simply flip Andrew Heaney (10-6, 4.10) back into the rotation. He started last on Sunday against Oakland. Theoretically, Heaney could start on Friday in Cleveland on normal rest and push back the rest of the rotation by a day.

Heaney’s biggest problem is getting deep in games. He’s pitched six full innings just once since the end of May. He has not pitched out of the bullpen yet in Toronto.

The Rangers could opt to return Martín Pérez to the rotation. The left-hander (9-4, 4.74) was moved to the bullpen after the Rangers acquired starters Scherzer and Jordan Montgomery.

Pérez has only allowed two earned runs in his last 11 2/3 innings of relief. He has a 3.48 ERA as a reliever.

The problem with returning Pérez to the rotation is there is a reason the Rangers moved him to the bullpen. He gave up 18 home runs with an .809 opponent OPS as starter and saw his ERA balloon two full points from his team-leading 2.89 last season.

Then there’s Cody Bradford (3-1, 4.03), the rookie left-hander who made his debut as a starter earlier this season and has toggled between starts and the bullpen this season. The Rangers recalled him from Triple-A when rosters expanded on Sept. 1 and he’s thrown 4 2/3 shutout innings with three strikeouts and no walks in four appearances.

As a starter with Texas he is 1-1 with a 4.73 ERA. As a reliever he is 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA, with 15 strikeouts and no walks in 18 innings.

Who will manager Bruce Bochy choose? He isn’t saying yet.

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You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.

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