Texas Rangers sign former 2-time All-Star pitcher
The Texas Rangers are taking a flyer on a former 2-time All-Star pitcher.
The Rangers on Tuesday signed Johnny Cueto to a minor-league contract.
Cueto was apparently drawn to the Rangers because he views the defending World Series champions as a contender, and because of his relationship with the team’s manager, Bruce Bochy.
Cueto spent 2016-2021 with the Giants. Bochy managed San Francisco for the first four of those seasons.
Cueto won 19 games in 2012, 20 games in 2014 and 18 in 2016. His most recent productive season came with the White Sox in 2022 when he went 8-10 with a 3.35 ERA. The 38-year-old went 1-4 with a 6.02 ERA over 13 games with the Marlins last season.
The Rangers entered play on Tuesday 12-11, which was good enough to place them first in the AL West.
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Three-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer set for first rehab start after back surgery
ARLINGTON, Texas — Three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer is set to make a minor league rehab start Wednesday night, which will be the first game action for the 39-year-old Texas Rangers right-hander since back surgery during the offseason.
Scherzer is scheduled to start for Triple-A Round Rock at home against Salt Lake.
Rangers manager Bruce Bochy and Scherzer said the plan is to throw about 50 pitches against the Los Angeles Angels’ affiliate team. The right-hander threw 40 pitches in a simulated game Friday.
Scherzer had surgery Dec. 15 to repair a herniated disk in his lower back. The eight-time All-Star was forced from his start in Game 3 of the World Series after three innings because of back discomfort.
An MRI after the Rangers won the World Series showed some inflammation in Scherzer’s back. He started feeling better before experiencing nerve pain in his leg, then twice had epidural injections before another MRI revealed the herniated disk.
Scherzer was a trade-deadline acquisition for the Rangers last summer, and was 4-2 with a 3.20 ERA in eight starts before missing the last two weeks of the regular season and the first two rounds of the playoffs because of a strained muscle in his right shoulder.
His 3,367 career strikeouts are the most among active pitchers, 21 more than Justin Verlander. Scherzer is second on the list of active pitchers with 214 wins and 448 games started.
