New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom was scratched from Friday’s spring start and will instead have an MRI on his tight right shoulder. Manager Buck Showalter revealed the injury Thursday night and said deGrom may not start Friday as planned. The scratch was made official Friday morning, putting the start of deGrom’s opening day in question.
“We’ll see how he’s doing tomorrow (Friday) before we pet him,” Showalter told reporters Thursday, including MLB.com’s Bill Ladson. “But he has to be pretty convincing to pitch him tomorrow. I’ll be surprised if he pitches tomorrow – rain or no rain.”
deGrom last served five days ago, on March 27, when he struck out five and went through three innings, and he looked a lot like him. He reported tightness in the back of his shoulder after a long throw Thursday afternoon. It’s not uncommon for pitchers to come down with a “dead arm” after a few weeks at camp, although this year’s short spring leaves no leeway.
Last season, a series of injuries, including back and forearm problems, limited deGrom to just 15 starts. He didn’t serve after July 7th. When he reported to camp, deGrom said his elbow ligament was “perfectly fine” and that he had no other physical problems. Aside from a brief rotator cuff tendinitis in 2014, deGrom has never had a shoulder problem in his career.
The Mets are scheduled to open the season next Thursday in Washington. Should deGrom miss opening day, the rest of the rotation would probably move up a day and Max Scherzer would start the season opener. How much the Mets will get from deGrom and Scherzer is a big question this year. deGrom was injured last year and Scherzer will serve this season at the age of 37.
Here is New York’s current rotational depth chart. Here are some age and injury concerns:
Let’s say getting 40 starts from deGrom and Scherzer instead of 60 starts from deGrom and Scherzer could very well be the difference in the NL East race this year. It might be enough to make all the difference in the postseason race overall. Bottom line, deGrom is a difference-making pitcher and losing him for a period of time would be devastating.
Around the injuries, deGrom, who turned 34 in June, has been fantastic in 2021. He pitched to a 1.08 ERA and hit 146 in 92 innings and held opposing batsmen at a .129/.160/.242 line. The two-time Cy Young winner has announced he plans to step out of last year and keep $30.5 million on his contract after the season.