DETROIT — That's another box checked. At this rate, we're starting to wipe them out.
Texas Rangers right-handed pitcher Max Scherzer returned to the ballpark where he won his first Cy Young Award on Monday at Comerica Park, facing batters for the first time since offseason hip surgery. The 39-year-old completed a 25-pitch live bullpen session before the series opener against the Detroit Tigers.
Scherzer threw 30 bullpen pitches at Globe Life Field last Tuesday and said he felt he was “turning the corner” in his rehab. Now he's deftly navigating another bend.
“It went well,” said Scherzer, who played against Davis Wenzel, Ezequiel Duran and Andrew Knizner. “It's a weird environment. There's really no environment. So it's kind of hard to get much out of it… [I threw] Every pitch, I stepped on it. ”
Scherzer will have a 40-pitch live bullpen session on Friday to simulate two up-and-down innings and, if all goes well, prepare for his subsequent rehab. Scherzer was initially ruled out until June after undergoing surgery for a herniated disc in December, but manager Bruce Bochy said the three-time Cy Young Award winner would join the Rangers “sometime in May.” He said there is a possibility he will return.
“He's on his way. Today is a good day for him,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said. “We're surprised by his situation at this point. We thought it would be late June before he would take the mound for us, but it will be much earlier than that.”
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