Mets' Jacob deGrom Frustrated; Max Scherzer's Test For Opening Day On Horizon

For the first time since receiving his MRI results on Friday, Mets ace Jacob deGrom admitted that he was shocked and "frustrated" by his latest diagnosis of a stress reaction on his right scapula, which will keep him from throwing for the next four weeks.

At the end of his month shut down, the Mets will give deGrom another MRI, before deciding on how to proceed. If deGrom is cleared to throw in four weeks, it could take him an additional month to ramp up. This would put him on track to make his regular-season debut by June, if he can avoid any setbacks.

On a positive note, deGrom sounded relieved that his ailment isn't a soft tissue injury this time.

“Structurally everything looks fine, so once the bone heals then we’ll be ready to go and build up from there and hopefully be healthy for the rest of the year,” deGrom told reporters at Clover Park.

DeGrom's final outing of the 2021 season came on July 7 after a sprain/slight tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow ended his campaign after just 15 starts.

After making two Grapefruit League starts this spring, while tossing a total of five innings, deGrom felt tightness in the back of his shoulder at the end of his throwing routine on Thursday. Although the righty felt healthy coming into camp, he is unsure of what caused his latest injury.

“That is something I am trying to figure out, because I felt like I put myself in a good spot this offseason to be ready to make 30-plus starts,” he said. “I would be guessing if I said exactly what happened. I tossed around a short ramp up, not pitching competitively in (8.5) months, but that would be a guess if I said exactly what happened.”

Despite his injury, which is likely to keep him out for a significant period of time, deGrom indicated that he still intends on opting out of his contract after the season concludes.

As for the Mets' co-ace, Max Scherzer, who is dealing with a hamstring tweak, the club will have a better understanding of his availability for Opening Day by Tuesday when he is scheduled to throw a side session.

“We’ll have a pretty good idea on Tuesday when Max is scheduled to throw a side,” manager Buck Showalter told reporters prior to the Mets' 8-4 win over the Marlins on Sunday. “Once we go there, we’ll have a pretty good idea what direction we’re going.”

Scherzer's hamstring issue is not believed to be a concern at the moment. Regardless, his status for the season-opener on April 7 is very much up in the air. And other sources have been pessimistic about the situation and believe he is in doubt for Opening Day at this point.

The Mets do not want to mess with the rest of their rotation's schedule, whether Scherzer is ready by Opening Day or not. New York has yet to name a replacement for deGrom, but Tylor Megill, David Peterson and Trevor Williams are among the options being considered. A member of this trio could wind up starting for the Mets on Opening Day, if Scherzer can't take the mound.