Max Scherzer Left off Rangers' 2023 ALDS Roster vs. Orioles amid Shoulder Injury

If Max Scherzer is going to pitch in the playoffs for the Texas Rangers, it won't happen in the American League Division Series against the Baltimore Orioles.

The three-time Cy Young winner was left off Texas' 26-man roster for the ALDS as he continues to rehab a shoulder injury that has kept out of action since Sept. 12.

One day after his Sept. 12 start against the Toronto Blue Jays, Rangers general manager Chris Young announced Scherzer would miss the remainder of the regular season and was considered "unlikely" for the playoffs with a low-grade strain of his right teres major muscle.

Per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, Scherzer threw a bullpen session on Wednesday prior to Game 2 of the AL Wild Card series between the Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays.

It was the second time in the past week Scherzer has been able to throw. He described the first bullpen session as "light," but he was "was able to step on it more" Wednesday and he was "pain free."

Following the Rangers' 7-1 win over the Rays to advance to the ALDS, Scherzer told The Athletic's Tyler Kepner he's "turning a corner" and can see a path to getting back on the mound.

During Friday's off-day, Scherzer threw two innings of a simulated game against live hitters.

"I'm in a learning curve," he said after Friday's throwing session. "I'm coming out of a shoulder problem here, and I'm learning what my shoulder can and can't do. So much of this battle for me getting back has been in the recovery process from throwing. It's a positive sign to go out there and go against hitters, but I've got to recover."

MLB rules allow teams to replace an injured player on their postseason roster after a series has started, but the injured player is ineligible for the subsequent round.

So if a Rangers pitcher gets injured during their series against the Orioles, Scherzer could theoretically be added to the roster.

More likely, though, Texas' coaching staff and front office will evaluate Scherzer on a round-by-round basis if the team continues to advance in the playoffs.

The Rangers acquired Scherzer from the New York Mets on July 29. He had a 3.20 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 53 strikeouts in 45 innings over eight starts after the trade.

Texas and Baltimore will play Game 1 of the ALDS at Camden Yards on Saturday at 1:03 p.m. ET.