How Marcus Stroman Has Been An Outlier In An Injury Plagued Mets Season
With all of the injuries that the Mets have endured this season, starting pitcher Marcus Stroman has been one of the few outliers in a year, where the team has placed 32 different players on the IL.
When Stroman exited his outing in Atlanta back on June 22 after just one inning due to left hip soreness, the Mets probably thought to themselves: "here we go again."
However, Stroman, who is known for going against the grain, given the fire and emotion he shows on the mound, had the right recipe. Or in this case - the right recovery products via Therabody - the leader in tech wellness and percussive massage therapy - which helps him take care of his body.
"After a long day on the mound, Theragun and RecoveryAir are instrumental in winding down and making sure my muscles are where they need to be after pitching," Stroman told Inside the Mets in an exclusive email interview on Wednesday. "It’s key-- a lot of athletes don't put enough emphasis on recovering right after and I think hitting Theragun protocols post-activity allows you to easily stretch out those muscles and get them where they need to be leading into my next start. I'm a big, big fan of the Theragun and I don’t know where I'd be without it."
"Therabody is always part of my recovery routine," he said. "I also use Theragun in the dugout in between innings to keep my body warm and ready."
Stroman went on to confirm that these excellent recovery products helped him make his next start after the hip issue.
And although he tapered off a bit performance-wise in his next few starts, he stepped up big by delivering his best outing of the season yesterday by 1-hitting the Reds across eight shutout innings.
Despite the Mets losing a number of starting pitchers lately, including their ace Jacob deGrom, Stroman has been able to stay healthy, and these recovery products are a big reason why.
"(I use them) Everyday, multiple times a day," said Stroman. "I use Theragun on every muscle that I can get to on my body, whether it be glutes, hamstrings, quads, biceps, forearm, triceps-- anything and everything. I’m usually pretty sore and tired coming out of a game, but if you hit that Theragun routine right after, it makes you feel better going into practice the next day."
"My favorite spot on my body to use Theragun would probably be my entire arm, including the forearm, the bicep, and the tricep. As a pitcher, my arm is my job, so I need to make sure that it's in a position to succeed each and every time I’m on the mound. So with my Theragun, I’m making sure I hit each part of my arm to ensure I’m ready to go. I love using RecoveryAir at the end of the day and just relax and let the product do the work."
Not only does Stroman actively use Therabody's products, he has been doing so for several years, and became an investor earlier this year. Now, he will officially become an ambassador for them, being named as a Therabody athlete, as of Thursday, July 22.
"Personally, I like to think I’m on the forefront of self-care and self-love in my routine and that is a huge factor," he said. "I make my body and my mind a priority every single day. Whether it is waking up and getting in my hyperbaric, going for a mental health walk, or taking care of my body with all the Therabody products-- I feel like I really maximize my health on and off the field."
The Mets have also announced Therabody as their official recovery and wellness partner, which will hopefully help reduce and prevent future injuries to their players.
In addition to Stroman, his teammate Pete Alonso used the Theragun as well, which helped him capture his second straight Home Run Derby title on July 13.
As for their injured teammates in Jacob deGrom (right forearm tightness) and Francisco Lindor (Grade 2 right oblique strain), Stroman says they are eager to get them back as soon as possible.
"It’s all just part of the game. It’s obviously not ideal, nobody wants to be on the IL, but we all deal with injuries from time to time. I know that both Jacob and Frankie are doing everything they can to get back out on the field and that’s what matters most. We’re looking forward to them both feeling 100% again."
Regardless, despite losing their two best players, it has not knocked the Mets off of their path towards the postseason. In the wake of a number of team-wide injury issues, the Mets have stayed resilient, holding onto first-place in the National League East since early-May. And they don't intend on giving up this lead anytime soon.
"We’re a strong team-- we thrive in these types of situations," Stroman added. "At the end of the day, the adversity only brings us closer together. We all have one goal in mind and we’re not going to let any kind of adversity get in the way of us trying to achieve that goal."
"We just need to keep our momentum going and stay focused as we move into the second half of the season. We have every intention of clinching a playoff berth and we’re doing all that we can to win the division."
