Texas Rangers $130,000,000 pitcher is progressing quickly in his recovery from injury - "I was able to step on it more. And it was pain free"

Ex-New York Mets star Max Scherzer has yet to debut in the postseason in a Texas Rangers jersey. The Rangers are set to play against in Baltimore Orioles next Saturday, but there is no comeback news about the ace starter.

After Jacob DeGrom tore his UCL, Scherzer became the backbone of the rotation. But he also got injured in the game against Toronto on Sept. 12, where he pitched 5.1 innings and gave away three hits before getting off the mound.

The 39-year-old strained his teres muscle and is out for the regular season. But before Game 2 against Tampa Bay Ray, he got in the bullpen again. Fans got a glimpse of hope as Max might return in upcoming playoffs games.

Max Scherzer's return in postseason as a Ranger

A week after Scherzer did some “light” bullpen sessions during his rehab period, he returned to Tropicana Field in much better condition before the Ray's game.

“Last week was a light bullpen. This one was real," Scherzer shared. "I was able to step on it more. And it was pain free.”

Max Scherzer signed a three-year contract for $130 million with the Mets. But he came to Texas in exchange for Luisangel Acuna this July. Rangers are paying $22.5 million to this three-time Cy Award winner, and the Mets will pay around $35 million through the end of 2024.

Max has decided to pick his player option of $43.3 million next year, and if he misses this year's postseason due to injury, he’ll turn out to be a bad deal for Texas. With 27 postseason appearances, he is one of the most-experienced starters who has a 7-7 postseason record with 164 strikeouts and a 3.58 ERA in 133.1 innings.

With Jon Gray now on a 15-day injury list, Rangers will have to go with Nathan Eovaldi, Jordan Montgomery, Dane Dunning, and Andrew Heaney. Since DeGrom will not play till the second half of 2024, Max is the perfect piece to complete the rotation.

Despite getting 13 wins in 27 regular season games with a 3.77 ERA in 152.2 innings, Max is yet to find his old form. Although 3.77 is a decent ERA, it is low for someone receiving his high-grade pay.