New York Mets starting pitcher Jacob deGrom. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
The Mets may have dodged a huge obstacle involving their star pitcher Jacob deGrom and his injured arm.
The New York Mets have had an interesting 24 hours. On Friday, they were involved in a bench-clearing altercation with the Pittsburgh Pirates. On top of that, Francisco Lindor hit the IL and their star pitcher Jacob deGrom was scratched from Sunday’s game. The pitcher hasn’t pitched since July 7, which is a concerning sign for the team. He suffered from right flexor tendinitis during a game on June 11 and had to leave in the sixth inning.
deGrom was scheduled to return to the mound Sunday, but manager Luis Rojas pulled him from the lineup. The pitcher ended his bullpen session early on Friday after experiencing tightness in his forearm, according to CBS Sports. Given his history with injuries, specifically this season with the forearm, people immediately thought the worst.
Luckily for deGrom and the Mets, it looks surgery won’t be necessary.
MRI shows no structural damage to Jacob deGrom’s forearm
After experiencing the tightness in his forearm, Jacob deGrom went to get an MRI. The best news came out from that appointment, as there is no structural damage to the pitcher’s forearm, according to Jon Chandler of NBC. deGrom is listed as day-to-day and won’t pitch for the Mets on Monday, per Chandler.
Luis Rojas says Jacob deGrom won’t pitch on Monday after feeling tightness in his forearm. Day-to-day, an MRI showed no structural issue/damage. #Mets
— John Chandler (@JohnChandlerNBC) July 17, 2021
No structural damage is a huge sigh of relief for everyone involved. Forearm injuries can be catastrophic to a pitcher’s career, and deGrom is one of the best in MLB. He had an injury-riddled first half of the year, and the second half isn’t starting any better. The real question now is when will deGrom retake the mound for New York?
Given his injury, the Mets might opt for the cautious approach and continue to hold deGrom out. Rojas mentioned that the team would have more division games in the second half of the year, and those obviously hold more weight. So their plan might be to wait until the division games pick up in their schedule to bring deGrom back.
“I think the thought process is he’s going to get the same number of starts, and he’s going to be able to see our division more in the second half,” Rojas said per The New York Post.
The good news is that Jacob deGrom isn’t seriously injured. With more rest and treatment, the star pitcher can hopefully return to the mound soon.