Mets Injury Updates: Jacob deGrom, Taijuan Walker
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NEW YORK -- The Mets are missing two starting pitchers from their rotation to begin the regular-season, but you'd never know it because of this unit's overall dominance throughout the first eight games.
During this span, Mets starters have posted a 6-0 record, 1.32 ERA and 47 strikeouts across 47 innings.
So what about the injured guys? Well, there's some promising news.
Ace Jacob deGrom told reporters prior to the Mets' home opener on Friday that he plans to get his right shoulder re-imaged in about 10 days, which would land on April 25.
DeGrom is dealing with a stress reaction in his right scapula, which was discovered on April 1 and forced the two-time Cy Young Award winner to stop throwing for four weeks.
"It's pretty positive so far," manager Buck Showalter told the Carton & Roberts show on WFAN Sports Radio of deGrom on Thursday. "He will be here tomorrow and then go back to St. Lucie to rehab - and as soon as he starts throwing, he will rejoin us and do all his throwing with us."
DeGrom was on hand at Citi Field for the Mets' home opener on Friday and received a loud ovation from the fans. If deGrom gets cleared to throw at the end of the month, it will likely take him about four weeks to build up his arm to be ready to pitch in games. This would potentially put him on track to return from the injured list by late-May or early-June.
As for the Mets' other injured starter, it does not sound like Taijuan Walker (right shoulder bursitis) will be on the shelf for too long.
Walker threw long toss on Friday, gradually progressing from 75-feet to 110-feet. The righty plans to throw a bullpen session on Sunday. If all goes well, he should be able to make a rehab start by Wednesday.
Walker is hoping to toss four innings in his rehab outing, which would allow him to go five when he returns to the big-league team. If this possible future rehab outing goes smoothly, he would then likely rejoin the Mets five days later.
Lefty David Peterson will replace Walker when he is due up in the rotation on Sunday in the final game of the Mets' series with the Diamondbacks. Peterson relieved Walker on Monday and tossed four shutout innings with three strikeouts.
Peterson is coming off a sophomore slump that ended prematurely due to an oblique issue and then a fractured foot, which required surgery. However, the southpaw showed promise as a rookie in 2020, going 6-2 with a 3.44 ERA across nine starts.
Read More:
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- Mets Lose Brandon Nimmo, Mark Canha To COVID IL Prior To Home Opener
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