Mets ace Jacob deGrom, who has but to pitch this season and is on the mend from a stress response in his proper scapula, underwent his newest follow-up MRI Monday, the workforce introduced. The Mets issued the following statement within the wake of this newest check:
“He underwent follow-up imaging yesterday that exposed continued therapeutic within the scapula. He’ll proceed to construct distance and velocity in his throwing program, and we are going to present an replace on his progress when applicable.”
On the one hand, it’s considerably encouraging that there’s been no setback, and deGrom ostensibly seems to be progressing towards a return. On the opposite, it’s certainly irritating for all events that there’s no clear indication as to when deGrom would possibly get again on the mound at Citi Discipline. MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo wrote Monday night, after talking to pitching coach Jeremy Hefner, that deGrom would require between three and 5 minor league rehab begins.
In fact, given the obscure nature of the Mets’ assertion, it’s not clear simply when that minor league rehab work would possibly start. The Mets indicated that deGrom continues to be throwing, however the usual development could be to go from flat floor, to mound work, to going through reside hitters earlier than leaping right into a rehab sport — with relaxation days smattered all through that course of. If deGrom is certainly slated for 5 rehab appearances, that might tack upward of 4 weeks onto the method. Inferring a bit, it’s onerous to see him again earlier than mid-June at this level, however the Mets have relatively intentionally averted making any definitive statements.
“We don’t wish to fiddle with reinjuring that sort of state of affairs, as a result of then he’s executed for the 12 months,” Hefner instructed DiComo Monday. “So we’re positively going to play the lengthy sport with him to ensure that we’ve him for the remainder of the season.”
Wanting purely on the standings, nobody would be capable of inform that the Mets have been lacking the sport’s greatest pitcher this season. Their 23-13 document already offers them a hefty 5.5-game lead over the second-place Phillies within the Nationwide League East, to say nothing of the sport’s third greatest successful proportion (.639, trailing solely the Dodgers and Yankees). The Mets have acquired seven begins apiece from Max Scherzer, Chris Bassitt, Carlos Carrasco and Tylor Megill, and that quartet has mixed for an excellent 3.22 ERA in 162 innings. Taijuan Walker (4 begins) and David Peterson (three) have additionally been wonderful of their alternatives so far.
On the entire, Mets starters rank sixth within the majors in ERA — even with out deGrom. They’re additionally ranked third in FIP and fifth in SIERA, along with possessing the seventh-best strikeout price and second-lowest stroll price of any workforce in baseball. Given the group’s collective dominance, the Mets can afford to take a extra cautious strategy with deGrom. Which will properly have been the workforce’s strategy regardless, however an excellent rotation and comfy first-place lead actually quell any temptation to push deGrom that may crop up in a extra tightly contested division and/or with broad-reaching struggles from different rotation choices.
