Breaking: Jacob deGrom to miss significant time
An MRI revealed a stress reaction in his right shoulder
If you are like me, you spent most of the day trying to work while waiting for an update on Jacob deGrom, hoping against hope his MRI would save us from the worst possible news.
Well, the results aren’t great.
Jacob deGrom will be shutdown for four weeks. His MRI revealed a stress reaction on his scapula that has caused inflammation in the area. The two-time Cy Young Award winner will “discontinue throwing for up to 4 weeks” before the team re-images the area and decides on the next course of action.
Donovan Mitchell sums it up best:
General Manager Billy Eppler tried to shine some positive light on the injury by noting “nothing is structurally wrong, as far as the rotator cuff, or anything like that.”
ESPN’s Jeff Passan described the injury as follows:
“The scapula, or shoulder blade, is a vital bone in the pitching process. Stress reactions, which are injuries to bones typically brought on by repeated movement, are rare in pitchers' shoulders. Typically, stress reactions are healed through rest.”
This explains why the “immediate prescription” for deGrom is to have him rest for the next month.
When will deGrom pitch again?
Your guess is as good as mine. Best case, he will be re-evaluated in four weeks, everything will look good, and he will resume throwing and ramp back up to possibly join the rotation within 6-8 weeks of today.
“If he doesn’t present with any kind of symptom at that time and everything seems to go well and it goes well for a number of days in a row, then maybe you’re looking at a little bit earlier,” Eppler said of deGrom’s timeline. “I think that, based on what we saw, I think four weeks is probably a reasonable timeline to take another photo.”
Realistically, it’s hard to believe he will throw a live-action pitch before June 1.
If this all sounds familiar, it should. Matt Harvey suffered a similar injury in 2017. As Matthew Brownstein pointed out on Twitter, the Mets initially reported he would miss “several weeks,” but he ultimately missed two months.
Cardinals starter Michael Wacha is another comparison case. He suffered a stress reaction in his right shoulder in mid-June of 2014, and similar to Harvey, didn’t return to the rotation until early September.
What now?
As I discussed this morning, few teams can lose a pitcher of deGrom’s stature and still have another ace in their back pocket. The Mets will turn to Max Scherzer to lead the rotation over the next two months.
Everyone else moves up the ladder. Chris Bassitt was essentially the No. 1 starter for Oakland last season; he is a fine top-end option behind Scherzer. Where the pressure starts to build is on Carlos Carrasco and Taijuan Walker. Carrasco needs to prove he can still be a reliable pitcher, while Walker will try to return to his All-Star form from the beginning of last season.
Tylor Megill will probably fill out the back of the rotation. After revealing deGrom’s MRI results, Eppler told reporters he doesn’t plan on searching for options outside of the organization. They will rely on their depth, which includes Trevor Williams, David Peterson and Jordan Yamamoto.
What next?
The larger issue at hand is even if deGrom does come back in a few months, it feels as if every pitch he makes could be the one that causes discomfort to sideline him again.
The right-hander tweaked his offseason workout routine and adjusted his mechanics to try to keep himself healthy, but to no avail. The frustrating trend of watching him pitch brilliantly, only to learn he is experiencing discomfort somewhere, has carried over from last season.
deGrom last pitched a real game for the Mets on July 7, 2021. It’s entirely possible he will go a full year between starts. This, as he prepares to opt out of his contract next winter. His ability to prove he is healthy within the next few months carries significant financial weight.
While Eppler is content with his current depth in the rotation right now, I wouldn’t rule anything out with Uncle Stevie in charge. The Mets might be reluctant to blow past $300 million in payroll this season, but they could orchestrate a trade similar to the Dodgers earlier today, offsetting incoming payroll by sending a real player out.
Final thoughts
This sucks. There’s no other way to put it, except with some added emphasis, This fucking sucks. Jacob deGrom is a generational talent. He was on pace to break Bob Gibson's legendary ERA record of 1.12 ERA before injuries got the best of him last season. Every deGrom start is a treat; every one that is lost is maddening.
But life goes on. And with Steve Cohen as owner of the franchise, life goes on a bit differently than it would have under previous ownership, or for just about every other major league club. The Mets still boast a rotation filled with Cy Young Award winners and All-Stars. They have enough resources to fill any gaps that widen as the season progresses. These aren’t your 1962 Mets, or even your 2021 Mets.
Try to enjoy your weekend, baseball is still around the corner. I’ll leave you with some wise words from manager Buck Showalter:
I ❤️ Jake but this is why any comparison of deGrom to Tom Seaver or Bob Gibson has always been silly.
Notice the “it’s rare for a pitcher to get this type of injury” - clearly done for the year and career threatening.