Mets’ Jacob deGrom Excels in First Rehab Outing With Low-A St. Lucie
One of the best pitchers in baseball returned to the mound this past weekend.
New York Mets starter Jacob deGrom, who’s been sidelined all season due to a stress reaction in his right shoulder, began a rehab assignment at low-A St. Lucie on Sunday. It was the first time he’s appeared in any game action since spring training.
The 34-year-old threw 24 pitches – one shy of his scheduled limit – across 1.2 innings, and didn’t allow any batter to reach base. He struck out five of the hitters he faced, resulting in 12 swinging strikes.
deGrom displayed his entire arsenal against the Jupiter Hammerheads – the Miami Marlins’ low-A affiliate – throwing 13 fastballs, six sliders, three cutters, one sinker and one change-up. The right-hander’s velocity touched 100 m.p.h. six separate times, with his fastest pitch reaching 100.9.
After St. Lucie’s offence scored eight runs, the club ultimately came away victorious in deGrom’s first outing of the season, defeating Jupiter 8-2. But very little attention was paid to the final score. Instead, the four-time All-Star fielded a large press scrum post-game.
The Mets’ talented hurler admitted he was pleased with his performance and reported his shoulder “feels 100 percent.” He also preached the importance of rehabbing the right way and making sure he’s not rushing himself back to the majors.
With that in mind, deGrom expects to make at least one more start with St. Lucie before advancing to the next phase of his recovery process, according to Jack Ramsey of MetsMerized.
Either way, Sunday marked the beginning of a 30-day window for deGrom and the Mets. If he isn’t activated before it expires on Aug. 1, the club will be required to make a roster move on that day. They can either activate him or keep him on the injured list.
Thankfully, after battling numerous injuries this season, New York’s pitching staff is starting to regain some of its regulars as the 2022 All-Star break nears. Fellow starter Max Scherzer will return from an oblique injury on Tuesday, lining him up to face the Cincinnati Reds.
The Mets are also currently without starters Chris Bassitt (COVID-19 list), Tylor Megill (shoulder strain, 60-day IL) and David Peterson (paternity list). That leaves Taijuan Walker, Carlos Carrasco and Trevor Williams as the only healthy starters.
Though, it appears that the trio is slated to receive some much-needed reinforcements over the next few weeks assuming no setbacks occur between now and then.
When deGrom makes his highly-anticipated return to the majors, it’ll be his first start at that level since Jul. 7, 2021. Despite being absent for nearly a year, the two-time Cy Young winner should provide a massive boost to the Mets’ roster.
Last season, deGrom made 15 starts before missing the remainder of the campaign, logging 92.0 innings. He recorded a 7-2 record, earning a remarkable 1.08 ERA, 1.53 xERA, 1.24 FIP and a 4.9 fWAR rating.
With the Mets becoming healthier, they’ll hope to remain atop the NL East Division in the second half. The Atlanta Braves, however, are determined to defend their crown as they currently sit just 3.5 games back in second place.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85
Photo: Keith Allison. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.