Mets' Jacob deGrom Left Searching for Answers After Latest Injury
Jacob deGrom is stuck searching for answers.
After exiting his start on Friday with right flexor tendinitis, the Mets' ace was off to another historical performance in his latest outing on Wednesday, retiring all nine Cubs' hitters he faced, while striking out eight of them.
But unfortunately, he was unable to avoid a new injury from popping up this time out when he was forced to leave after three innings with right shoulder soreness.
"This is getting old," deGrom said after the Mets' 3-2 win over the Cubs. "I want to be out there competing. Hopefully, this turns out to be nothing."
Leading up to this outing, deGrom felt good in between starts and after throwing a bullpen before Wednesday's game, which signaled he was ready to go.
However, when he was unable to loosen up in the third, and the soreness didn't improve by the end of the inning, deGrom knew he had to say something to his coaching staff.
In a way, it's a positive sign that deGrom is still putting up historic numbers while dealing with different ailments, but it is also the most frustrating aspect for him.
This is now three different unrelated issues he has dealt with in the span of five weeks. And a visibly aggravated deGrom, who is usually in tune with his body, has no idea how or why these new injuries keep popping up.
While deGrom certainly creates a lot of force each time he takes the mound given his fastball velocity, which sits between 99-101 mph, both he and Luis Rojas are unsure if this aspect is leading to these injury issues.
The right-hander is set to undergo an MRI on Thursday, but he does not anticipate it to reveal anything serious.
According to deGrom, the Mets did some strength testing on his shoulder during last night's game, and received encouraging results, as his strength in his right shoulder, matched his left.
“I’m pretty confident this is nothing," said deGrom. "We did some tests and ruled out anything serious."
Will he make his next start, or is he destined for the IL? Regardless of what happens, the Mets must be more cautious with their prized arm, who spent a previous stint on the 10-day IL with right side tightness in May.
The hope is, that the MRI will not show anything serious, but it would still be wise to put deGrom on the shelf for a week or two in order to get him a breather and back to 100%.
Now, the Mets will play the waiting game, as they await the results of deGrom's MRI. Stay tuned!
