Texas Rangers ace Max Scherzer will be sidelined until at least June or July following surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back.
General manager Chris Young of the defending World Series champions delivered the news to reporters on Friday.
Scherzer, who turns 40 in July, was 4-2 with a 3.20 ERA in eight regular season starts for Texas after being acquired from the New York Mets at the trade deadline.
He did not pitch in the wild-card or division series because of a shoulder strain and was 0-1 with a 9.45 ERA in two starts in the American League Championship Series. He started Game 3 of the World Series and pitched three scoreless innings in a 3-1 win against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
A three-time Cy Young Award winner and an eight-time All-Star, Scherzer is 214-108 with a 3.15 ERA and 3,367 strikeouts in 457 games (448 starts) for the Diamondbacks, Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals, Los Angeles Dodgers, Mets and Rangers.
A midsummer comeback for Scherzer could set Texas up for a second-half pitching overhaul, with right-hander Jacob deGrom and newly signed right-hander Tyler Mahle both targeting August returns after recovering from Tommy John surgery.
More must-reads: