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What if Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer and Tyler Mahle had returned at the All-Star break?
When the season started, there was some hope that Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer and offseason addition Tyler Mahle might all be ready to return to action around the All-Star break.
If the Rangers could simply find a way to tread water and stay within striking distance of a playoff spot until those reinforcements arrived, they might be able to make a second-half push.
They were 46-50 at the break and 51-52 just a few days before the deadline, but the reinforcements never came, at least not at the level that was expected.
Scherzer made his season debut on June 23 and posted a 3.89 ERA in 39.1 innings before landing on the injured list again, and he made just one more start before he was shut down for the year.
Meanwhile, deGrom didn’t return to action until Sept. 13, while Mahle was shut down with shoulder stiffness after just three starts in August.