Mets mum on whether star pitcher deGrom is ailing

NEW YORK (AP) Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom is likely to miss his next scheduled start because of soreness in his right forearm.

''I plan on being back out there before too long. Like I said, it's nothing serious,'' deGrom said after the wild-card contenders lost to NL East-leading Washington 4-1 Friday night.

New York said deGrom had a precautionary MRI earlier in the day and it was negative. The club said there was no structural damage and he will take medication.

The 28-year-old righty is 7-8 with a 3.04 ERA in 24 starts.

The 2014 NL Rookie of the Year has been hit hard in losing his last three starts, giving up 16 runs on 31 hits and six walks in just 14 2/3 innings.

DeGrom got seven days off before pitching Thursday night because the Mets were worried he was fatigued. As he left the dugout after five innings in a loss to Miami, he waved for the team trainer to join him.

''I just mentioned my arm's a little stiff after the game. As I told you guys last night, I thought I was fine, and I think I am,'' he said.

''I think getting it looked at and seeing that everything in there is structurally fine is more peace of mind that I am fine. I'm sure if you look at anybody's arm after they throw 100 pitches and 70 of them are stressful with runners on, and you're having a hard time finding the strike zone, I'm sure there's going to be inflammation in anybody's arm,'' he said.