Rangers' Max Scherzer Exits vs. Blue Jays With Triceps Injury

The Texas Rangers received a major scare on Tuesday when ace Max Scherzer left his start against the Toronto Blue Jays in the sixth inning with what the team announced was a right triceps spasm.

Scherzer was throwing a gem when he had to be removed, giving up just three hits, no runs and one walk through 5.1 innings, striking out three.

Per Jeff Wilson of Rangers Today, Scherzer will be further evaluated on Wednesday.

It's a crucial series for the Rangers, who beat the Blue Jays 10-4 on Monday to move a half-game behind them for the second Wild Card spot in the American League. Entering Tuesday, they remained a half-game ahead of the Seattle Mariners for the final berth.

The AL West crown is also up for grabs, as Texas trails the Houston Astros by just two games.

Scherzer, 39, has been more than solid for the Rangers since being acquired ahead of the trade deadline from the New York Mets. In his seven starts coming into Tuesday's game, he was 3-2 with a 3.63 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 51 strikeouts in 39.2 innings.

The three-time Cy Young award winner, eight-time All-Star and one-time champion also exited a start in early September with forearm tightness. After that game he preached taking a cautious approach, telling reporters he noticed his "location was starting to get off" before exiting.

"Now I can tell that I was kind of at my limit, even though my shoulder was good, my arm's good," he continued. "I didn't go out there and put myself in a dangerous position. I was not going to go out there and hurt myself. You come up with a forearm strain now, you're done for the year. So that's where you've got to be smart and take a blow when you need it."

The Rangers will be hoping that Tuesday was a similar situation and nothing more serious. Losing Scherzer for any substantial time would be a huge blow as they fight for their postseason lives.