Rangers’ Jacob deGrom Makes First Rehab Start, Strikes Out Three Over Two Innings in Return
After missing most of the season, Jacob deGrom was back on a mound Thursday in his first rehab start with Double-A Frisco, marking a significant milestone in his return from elbow surgery.
The 36-year-old righty, who last pitched in the majors in April 2023, threw 29 pitches over two innings, landing 21 for strikes. He allowed one run on a pair of hits but retired the final five batters he faced, three via strikeout.
Velocity wasn’t an issue for deGrom, as he registered 100 mph on the radar gun with his fastball while mixing in a heavy dose of sliders and some changeups.
Injuries have been a frequent element of deGrom’s career, two of which resulted in major elbow surgeries. His latest one ended his inaugural campaign with the Rangers after only six starts, where he pitched to a 2.67 ERA with 45 punchouts over 30.1 innings.
With Texas well out of the playoff hunt, entering Friday’s slate 10.5 games back of first place in the AL West, the reigning World Series champions won’t have much to play for down the stretch. But the two-time NL Cy Young winner remains determined to head into this off-season on a positive note.
“It’s very important,” deGrom told reporters post-game, including the Associated Press. “That way, I can treat the off-season a little bit more normal. If I don’t get out there, it’s going to feel like I’ve been rehabbing all that time through, whatever that is, almost a year and a half.”
The Rangers invested plenty of resources into deGrom prior to last season, inking the four-time All-Star to a five-year, $185-million contract that includes a club option for 2028. So they’ll surely be closely monitoring his comeback attempt following an extended layoff.
But the 6-foot-4 hurler still managed to enjoy himself in his return to a live-game setting, offering to buy lobster and steak as a post-game meal for his Double-A teammates.
Given how much time deGrom has missed, it’s unclear how many rehab starts he’ll need to make before rejoining the Rangers’ starting rotation. But he doesn’t expect to throw many curveballs, if any, to help ease the stress on his elbow.
“I don’t think we’ve gone that far yet,” deGrom said. “One step at a time. Make sure I bounce back tomorrow, then we’ll come up with a plan from there.”
Prior to signing with Texas, deGrom was an integral piece for the New York Mets, with whom he spent the first nine seasons of his career. However, his final two in Queens included multiple IL trips, as he missed several months in 2021 due to elbow and forearm issues while missing the entire first half of ‘22 with a stress reaction in his right scapula.
It’s been a long and winding road these past few years for one of baseball’s most talented pitchers, who underwent elbow surgery in June ‘23.
“Once you get out there, you’re competing,” deGrom said. “That’s what we love to do. I’ve missed a year of it and kind of like want to be out there. This is the first step of it.”
With five-plus weeks remaining in the regular season, deGrom may have a chance to make a few starts with the Rangers next month, depending on how many additional rehab outings he requires.
Fellow injured righty Max Scherzer (shoulder) was previously scheduled to begin a Double-A rehab assignment Friday before being scratched by the club. Instead, he’ll receive a few extra days of rest before returning to the mound.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @Hall_Thomas_
Photo: Tdorante10. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.