Texas Rangers

Texas Rangers star pitcher Jacob deGrom is set to make his 2024 season debut on Friday night.

The two-time Cy Young Award winner hasn't stepped on the mound in the majors since April 2023, as he underwent Tommy John surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament that ultimately caused him to miss over a year.

The 36-year-old made four rehab starts before joining the Rangers in Arizona earlier this week for a series against the Diamondbacks.

He didn't show any signs of rust throughout his four minor-league appearances, with deGrom striking out 15 batters compared to just one walk in 10.2 innings of work. He also posted a 0.84 ERA.

The Rangers signed deGrom to a five-year, $185 million contract following the 2022 season. He was dominant on the mound throughout his first six starts in Texas, finishing with a 2-0 record to go along with a 2.67 ERA before he needed surgery.

The team was still able to succeed without the ace, defeating the Diamondbacks in the Fall Classic and capturing the first World Series victory in franchise history.

Texas' 2024 season has been marred by injuries, specifically to the team's rotation. The Rangers currently sit 7.5 games back from the final American League wild card spot, as their 4.33 ERA among starting pitchers ranks No. 21 among all MLB teams.

Three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer will also provide a boost to Texas' starting pitching, as he's currently set to start after deGrom in Saturday's matchup with the Mariners. Scherzer hasn't pitched since July 30 due to a shoulder issue.

The Rangers will look to make a last-ditch effort to secure a postseason berth with deGrom returning to action on Friday night, with the game starting at 10:10 p.m. ET.

The Texas Rangers will be without shortstop Corey Seager for the rest of the season.

General manager Chris Young revealed Thursday that Seager will undergo surgery to repair a sports hernia on Friday, per Tim Booth of the Associated Press. It will be his second sports hernia surgery in a year-long period, although the first one was done on the other side of his abdomen.

"Obviously a tough decision but with where we are at this point in the season, felt like it was a prudent decision in order for him to make a full recovery, have a strong offseason and be ready for spring training," Young said.

Texas is in third place in the American League West at 70-76 and largely playing out the string of the campaign. It is eight games behind the first-place Houston Astros and eight games behind the Minnesota Twins for the final wild-card spot.

The playoffs are quite the long shot, and there was no need to risk Seager's long-term health given the situation.

The 30-year-old also missed the majority of spring training following his January surgery, but he was ready for the start of the season.

In all, he appeared in 123 games this season while slashing .278/.353/.512 with 30 home runs and 74 RBI. He made his third straight All-Star game and the fifth one of his career while adding to a resume that also includes two World Series crowns, two World Series MVPs, a National League Rookie of the Year and three Silver Slugger awards.

This was his third year with the Rangers after spending his first seven seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

He is signed through the 2031 campaign, so his long-term health is important for the Rangers. Both the player and team surely hope this surgery can take care of his concerns and that he will be ready to start the 2025 season fully healthy after ending his 2024 one early.

Kumar Rocker is heading to MLB.

Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reported that the 2022 No. 3 pick was being called up to the Texas Rangers rotation and would make his first start against the Seattle Mariners, news that was confirmed by the team.

Rocker is rated as the Ranger's No. 2 prospect and is currently playing for the team's Triple-A affiliate.

Rocker has spent the 2024 season across various levels of the minor leagues and has impressed. His cumulative ERA is 1.96 across nine starts and 10 appearances. He has recorded 55 strikeouts in 36.2 innings and has issued just five walks.

He will reunite with Jack Leiter, his former collegiate teammate at Vanderbilt and will hopefully become a strong presence in the Ranger's rotation.

The 24-year-old's MLB experience has been rocky. This started in the 2021 Draft when he was selected with the No. 10 pick by the New York Mets. He originally agreed to a $6 million bonus with the team but a post-draft physical revealed some shoulder and elbow issues and caused the team to pull its offer.

After a stint in independent baseball, Rocker would go to the Rangers in the next draft and now will look to show his doubters why they were wrong.

Elvis Andrus will retire as a Texas Ranger.

Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reported that Andrus would "officially retire as an active player" during the Rangers Friday game against the Los Angeles Angels.

Andrus last played for the Chicago White Sox during the 2023 season. He spent 12 of his 15 seasons with the Rangers, the last of which came in 2020. Six of those seasons came with Ron Washington as the team's manager, and Washington will coach against Texas on Friday as the Angel's manager.

Andrus finishes his career with overall slashes of .269/.325/.370. He also hit 102 home runs, had 775 RBIs and finished with 2,048 career hits.

He was a two-time All-Star, with both selections coming when he was with the Rangers, and was a major contributor to the 2010 and 2011 teams that reached the World Series. Both squads would ultimately fall but the franchise would capture its first-ever World Series Championship in 2023.

Andrus will now officially retire with the franchise he saw his greatest success with and fully transition to his post-playing career.

After being off the mound since June 2023, Texas Rangers star pitcher Jacob deGrom is nearing a return.

The two-time Cy Young Award winner faced live hitters for the third time on Saturday and said he feels ready for a rehab assignment soon, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN).

"My arm feels great except now it's just been, what, how many months? Fourteen?" deGrom said. "You've got your [teammates] in there. You go face other guys, and I think that'll help a little bit."

DeGrom's rehab assignment would probably be with Double-A Frisco, according to the Associated Press, and manager Bruce Bochy is optimistic about his progress.

"It looks like Jacob's ready to go. We'll see how he comes out of this," Bochy said. "He'll be starting rehab here soon."

DeGrom, who signed with the Rangers ahead of the 2023 season on a five-year, $185 million contract, has made his six appearances for Texas. He had 45 strikeouts, a 2.67 ERA and a 0.76 WHIP in his limited action last season.

DeGrom underwent successful surgery last June to repair a torn UCL and has been working towards his comeback ever since. It was reported in June that he was aiming for an August return, but that date might have to be pushed back slightly depending on how well his rehab start goes.

Despite winning the World Series a year ago, a postseason appearance doesn't seem probable for the Rangers at this point. They currently sit in third place in the AL West at 56-67 and would need a miraculous finish to stay in position for a wild-card spot.

Texas' playoff chances dimming likely means it won't rush to get deGrom back on the mound and will instead focus on getting him healthy for 2025.

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Max Scherzer has been limited to eight starts this year after missing the first three months due to offseason back surgery and a nerve issue and landing on the injured list Aug. 2 due to right shoulder fatigue.

It's been a tough stretch for the 40-year-old, who has won three Cy Young awards and made eight All-Star teams during his phenomenal career. But Scherzer isn't thinking about retirement.

"No, not in that regard, because I've been able to go out there and compete, but I haven't been fully myself," Scherzer told reporters, per Stefan Stevenson for Sports Illustrated.

"Even when I've been out there competing, I still feel I can pitch at a high level. There are still things I can do with the baseball that I can pitch at a high level with."

Scherzer pitched a 25-pitch bullpen session Friday. Per Stevenson, the expectation is for Scherzer to throw a 40-pitch bullpen session Sunday. He's eligible to come off the injured list when he's ready.

"My shoulder, my arm for the most part, feels really good," Scherzer said, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN). "I was trying basically to do spring training in the middle of the season. Never done that before. ... I guess I was kind of flying blind and trying to understand what I can and can't do. And, you know, my arm got a little overextended in that process. And so like, OK, learn from it and move on, and build back up and let's get ready to go."

Injuries have hindered Scherzer over the past three years. As the AP noted, he made just 23 starts in 2022 with a left oblique injury and 27 starts in 2023 due to neck spasms and a right teres muscle strain.

But when healthy, Scherzer has been one of the game's best pitchers over the past-decade plus. For his career, he's 216-112 with a 3.16 ERA (1.08 WHIP) and 10.6 K/9 rate. He's posted a respectable stat line in 2024, going 2-4 with a 3.89 ERA (1.09 WHIP) and 8.7 K/9 rate.

Hopefully Scherzer is able to return and enjoy a good string of health before the season ends. At this point, there's certainly optimism he'll be able to return after the Friday bullpen's success, so the next step is hoping Sunday turns out well and going from there.

The Texas Rangers placed starter Max Scherzer on the 15-day injured list due to right shoulder fatigue, according to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN).

The move was retroactive to Wednesday, while the team called up lefty Walter Pennington from Texas' Triple-A affiliate.

Scherzer experienced issues during a start against the St. Louis Cardinals, exiting after just four innings and 68 pitches. After the game, he explained that he was "trying to grind through these starts and ramp up."

The three-time Cy Young Award winner didn't make his season debut until June 23 after he underwent back surgery in Dec. 2023. His recovery was also hampered by a nerve issue in his right arm.

Scherzer currently owns a 2-4 record through eight starts, posting a 3.89 ERA. The active strikeout leader in the majors has also struck out 38 batters while allowing eight walks in 39.1 innings of work.

The Rangers' World Series defense has been off to a rough start due to injuries, as they currently sit 4.5 games behind the Houston Astros for the No. 1 spot in the AL West. Texas' staff has been decimated by injuries, as Jon Gray was placed on the 15-day injured list due to a right groin strain on Monday.

Two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Saturday as he recovers from elbow surgery. If he's able to return before the end of the regular season, he should provide a boost to Texas' rotation.

As for Scherzer, he'll remain on the injury list until his issues with arm fatigue subside.

One MLB executive believes the Texas Rangers should deal a pair of starting pitchers ahead of the trade deadline.

Per ESPN's Jesse Rogers, the executive suggested the Rangers trade Max Scherzer and Nathan Eovaldi.

"Trade either Eovaldi or Scherzer or both," the executive said.

The executive also offered a suggestion for where Texas should move the two pitchers, and it would reunite them with their former teams.

"Aren't the Mets already paying Scherzer? Sure, they'd have to give up a prospect to get him back but that could be a fun boost to their team," the exec said. "And I think Eovaldi back to the Red Sox would be a good move as well. His option for 2025 isn't going to vest so he and Scherzer would be pure rentals."

The suggestions come amid a sluggish first half of the season for the Rangers after they won the World Series last year. Given the two aces' contract situations, moving them before the deadline could be in the best interest of Texas' future.

Scherzer will be a free agent in 2025 after playing on a player option in 2024, while Eovaldi has a vesting option next season, so bringing them back isn't a guarantee this offseason.

For both the Mets and Red Sox, adding a veteran arm to the rotation could pay dividends as the two teams look to make a deep postseason run. New York currently ranks 20th in team ERA at 4.18 on the season while Boston ranks 12th with a 3.80 team ERA.

Scherzer, who will turn 40 this week, has missed much of the season while dealing with a nerve injury. In his six appearances this year, he's recorded 24 strikeouts, a 3.99 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP.

Eovaldi is having one of the best seasons of his career so far with 104 strikeouts, a 3.31 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP in 18 starts.

A postseason appearance isn't off the table for the Rangers just yet, but another World Series run seems unlikely. Trading the veteran aces in return for younger prospects could be beneficial in the long run.

Texas Rangers starter Max Scherzer confirmed that he isn't planning on waiving his no-trade clause ahead of the July 30 MLB trade deadline.

"Yeah, I'm not gonna do that, but I just don't think I have to even think about that," Scherzer said in an interview with Foul Territory TV. "I think we're gonna play better baseball. It's gonna be a moot point to even talk about, so I think we're gonna win here"

The Rangers sit at 44-49 on the season as a whole and are currently seven games back of the final AL Wild Card spot.

USA Today's Bob Nightengale previously reported on Sunday that "rival" general managers expect the Rangers to make Scherzer available on the trade market, as well as fellow starters Michael Lorenzen and Andrew Heaney.

However, Scherzer owns a no-trade clause and can veto a potential deal in order to stay with Texas and become a free agent at the end of the season. He appears to be content with staying on the Rangers after playing with four separate teams since the start of the 2021 season.

Scherzer has only made four starts in 2024, as his debut was delayed until June 23 after undergoing back surgery following the 2023 season. His recovery was also stalled by a nerve issue that extended up to his right triceps.

The three-time Cy Young Award winner has still looked impressive on the mound in limited action, compiling a 3.09 ERA to go along with a 1-2 record. He's given up 19 hits in 23.1 innings, striking out 17 batters compared to just three walks allowed.

While the Rangers' World Series defense has gotten off to a rough start, Scherzer doesn't appear to be interested in a change of scenery before the end of the season. Texas will attempt to climb back into the AL postseason picture during the team's next game, a clash with the Houston Astros on Friday at 8:10 p.m. ET.

The Texas Rangers' Marcus Semien will start at second base for the American League in the 2024 MLB All-Star Game.

The Houston Astros announced José Altuve will miss the Midsummer Classic due to a hand injury. As a result, MLB confirmed the Minnesota Twins' Willi Castro will take Altuve's place on the AL roster, with Semien getting promoted from the list of reserves.

Altuve and Semien were the two finalists at second base when the first phase of the All-Star fan vote concluded, so the Rangers infielder was the natural choice to fill in once Altuve was ruled out.

Semien has failed to keep pace with the standard he set in 2023 when he finished third in the American League MVP voting and was a Silver Slugger for the second time.

Through 91 games, he has a .235/.303/.382 slash line along with 12 home runs and 50 RBI. His OPS+ has fallen from 126 last year to 95, per Baseball Reference. The 33-year-old is coming off a particularly tough June. He slugged just .298 across the month.

Things might be turning around for Semien. Since the start of July, he has a .706 OPS, which doesn't sound great on its own but is right around the league average (.708).

Even when his somewhat lackluster offensive numbers, Semien had a strong All-Star case when adding in his defensive value. Per FanGraphs, he's tied for fifth in the majors in defensive runs saved, and he's tied for fourth in Baseball Savant's fielding run value metric.

The Rangers host this year's All-Star Game at Globe Life Field, and Altuve's withdrawal means they'll have at least one representative in the AL starting lineup.