Mets Shutdown Jacob deGrom For Rest Of Season; Noah Syndergaard Returns After 2-Year Hiatus
NEW YORK- Jacob deGrom's historic season has officially ended in disappointing fashion.
Back on August 18, Inside the Mets initially reported that deGrom was 99.9% done for the season.
And on Tuesday, September 28, manager Luis Rojas announced deGrom (UCL sprain/partial tear in his right elbow) will be shutdown for the remainder of the year.
Although deGrom resumed a throwing program in late-August, with the hope of making it back to the Mets to pitch in a game before the regular season ended, all parties agreed the best route was to hit the breaks at this point.
A month ago, a source told Inside the Mets that deGrom could potentially pitch in a simulated game in October if he couldn't make it back in the regular season - but this will no longer happen.
According to Rojas, deGrom should be able to go through a normal offseason routine, and then be "the Jake that we know" by spring training.
Regardless, deGrom is going to be a serious question mark for this Mets team heading into 2022.
The right-hander was having one of the best seasons of all-time, before injuries derailed his campaign. Through 15 starts, deGrom went 7-2 with a 1.08 ERA, a 0.55 WHIP and 146 strikeouts across 92 innings.
DeGrom's last start of the year was on July 7, and unfortunately, his elbow injury prevented him from capturing what likely would've been his third Cy Young Award.
The Mets, who held onto first place for 103 days, also plummeted in the standings once deGrom went on the shelf.
And as Rojas said, deGrom "probably" would have pitched if the Mets were still in contention.
Now, the Mets will have to keep an eye on their prized arm this winter, and hope his UCL sprain/partial tear is truly resolved.
If not, it could potentially knock him out for all of next year, should he have to undergo Tommy John surgery.
The Mets and deGrom are holding their breath that this won't be the case, and that the right-hander can make it through a full season without any issues, after an offseason of rest.
For now, shutting it down was the safest and most logical decision by both the player and the organization.
Return of the King
The comeback is complete.
After two very long years of recovery, Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard has finally made his return from Tommy John surgery.
Syndergaard was reinstated from the 60-day IL on Tuesday and will start Game 2 of the Mets' doubleheader against the Marlins.
According to manager Luis Rojas, the plan is for Syndergaard to go one inning in the nightcap, which will be a total of seven innings.
Syndergaard will be used as an opener in this contest, and will serve as a reliever in the Mets’ bullpen for the final two series of the season.
And as it turns out, the third time truly was the charm for Syndergaard, who had to go through three separate rehab stints to get back to the big-leagues.
Syndergaard looked sharp on his latest rehab assignment, tossing three scoreless innings with two strikeouts across two outings.
Now, he will get to prove he can still pitch at an effective level, before hitting the free agent market for the first time in his career this offseason.
In order to make room for Syndergaard on the 40-man roster, the Mets designated catcher Chance Sisco for assignment.
