Jacob deGrom Aces Sim Game As Possible Return to New York Mets Looms

Jacob deGrom's sim game on Thursday night went just about as smoothly as he and the Mets could've hoped.

DeGrom made it into the fifth inning, where he reached his 60-pitch limit. But not before striking out 10 of the 13 batters he faced.

Those on hand in Port St. Lucie were very impressed with what they saw from the Mets' ace. And according to a Mets spokesperson, deGrom said he felt good afterward.

Jacob deGrom pitched into 5th inning of his sim game on 60 pitches, struck out 10 batters

He felt good afterward, those on hand liked what they saw. Initial hope is his next start will come with the Mets, but that decision will be made based off how he feels in coming days
— Pat Ragazzo (@ragazzoreport) July 22, 2022

The initial hope is that deGrom will be able to rejoin the Mets rotation as his next step. However, this decision will be made based off how he feels in the coming days. A return to the majors for his next outing would put the two-time Cy Young Award winner in line to possibly start next Tuesday (July 26) or Wednesday (July 27) against the Yankees in the Subway Series. Tuesday could make sense for deGrom, given co-ace Max Scherzer is set to pitch this Friday, so that would line him up to take the hill against the Yankees on Wednesday.

The good news is that deGrom feels good at the moment and so do the Mets, given how promising he looked in his latest sim game, which counted as his fourth rehab start. DeGrom previously made two rehab starts for Single A St. Lucie and one for Triple A Syracuse, accumulating a total of 8 2/3 innings, no earned runs allowed and 15 strikeouts.

There was a bit of uneasiness after his sim game got pushed back from Tuesday to Thursday due to mild muscle soreness around his shoulder, the same area he injured during spring training. But tonight's latest performance eliminated any concern that existed earlier in the week.

Now, deGrom could be on the verge of returning to the Mets for the first time since July 7, 2021. A healthy deGrom and Scherzer atop the Mets' rotation will be frightening for any opponent. This was New York's blueprint heading into the season, and it seems like it will be coming to a head soon enough.

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