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Mets Place Jacob DeGrom On 10-Day Injured List

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MAY 11: The Mets have officially placed deGrom on the IL and recalled righty Sean Reid-Foley, Mike Puma of the New York Post tweets.

MAY 10: The Mets will place star right-hander Jacob deGrom on the 10-day injured list due to right side tightness, the team announced.  The placement will become official prior to tomorrow’s game with the Orioles, and the placement will be retroactive to May 10.

The news wasn’t a surprise considering that deGrom made an early exit from yesterday’s start, though an MRI didn’t reveal any structural damage.  Naturally, the Mets want to be as cautious as possible with the ace of their staff, especially since deGrom had been scratched from a previous start last Tuesday due to inflammation in his right lat.  Though it doesn’t appear as if deGrom’s injury is all that serious, getting at least 10 days off to rest and rehab is probably a wise move considering his outsized importance to New York’s rotation.

Since the Mets are off today, Thursday, and on May 20, it’s possible deGrom might only miss one start during his absence.  A return to the hill for May 21 against the Marlins certainly seems feasible if deGrom makes a quick recovery.  As MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo notes, it isn’t uncommon for deGrom to miss a start or two per season due to a minor injury, though this will mark the first time deGrom has actually been placed on the IL since 2019.  DeGrom has hit the big league IL four times in his career, returning each time in relatively short order.

DeGrom is in the midst of yet another spectacular season, with an 0.68 ERA/1.65 SIERA and (this is somehow not a typo) 567 ERA+ through 40 innings.  His 46.1% strikeout percentage leads all starting pitchers, and he also leads the majors in K/9 (14.6), hits/9 (3.8), WHIP (0.60) and FIP (1.03), not to mention high-90th percentile spots in several Statcast categories.

Mets Optimistic Jacob deGrom Will Not Have Extended Absence After MRI

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MAY 10: In what’ll surely be a sigh of relief for Mets’ fans, it seems deGrom’s MRI revealed no serious issues. Jon Morosi of MLB Network (Twitter link) reports New York is optimistic he won’t require an extended absence, although his next scheduled start may be pushed back. The Mets have off days today and Thursday, so they needn’t rearrange the rotation much to give deGrom an extra few days to recover. Morosi adds that a short-term IL stint remains a possibility, but it seems deGrom has avoided any especially worrisome injury.

MAY 9, 4:18 pm: New York is sending deGrom for an MRI “just to see what’s going on,” manager Luis Rojas told reporters (including Anthony DiComo of MLB.com). Rojas says deGrom’s current discomfort is in the right side of his lower back, not his lat.

MAY 9, 2:15 pm: The Mets announced deGrom was removed for precautionary reasons with right side tightness (via David Lennon of Newsday).

MAY 9, 1:56 pm: Mets ace Jacob deGrom left this afternoon’s start against the Diamondbacks early after a visit from the team trainer, Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News was among those to pass along (Twitter link). deGrom worked five innings before leaving during his warm-up pitches to start the sixth.

Any premature departure for the two-time NL Cy Young award winner would cause concern, but it’s especially alarming to see deGrom pulled after he was scratched from his previous start with right lat inflammation. deGrom did come out strong today, holding his typical high-90’s velocity over five frames of one-hit, one-run ball.

The 32-year-old has been nothing short of incredible this season. He’s now up to 40 innings with a 0.68 ERA and a fantastic 46.1% strikeout rate against a 5.0% walk rate. So long as he’s healthy, deGrom looks on his way to another Cy Young-caliber campaign, and he’s of upmost importance if the 15-13 Mets are to remain atop the National League East over the course of the season.

Mets GM: “No Movement” In Any Recent Extension Talks

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Much of the discussion about the Mets in Spring Training revolved around the team’s extension negotiations with Francisco Lindor and Michael Conforto. There was more urgency to work out a deal with Lindor, since the star shortstop had set an Opening Day deadline to conclude talks. Conforto, on the other hand, left open the possibility of in-season discourse.

The Mets and Lindor came to terms on a ten-year, $341MM deal just hours before the regular season began. Those negotiations seemed to keep Conforto’s situation on the back burner, as the Mets and the outfielder’s representatives at the Boras Corporation reportedly did not exchange dollar figures during the spring.

Just over a month later, it doesn’t seem the parties have moved any closer to an agreement. Mets acting general manager Zack Scott told reporters (including Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News) that “there’s been no movement on anything contract wise for anyone” on the roster recently. That’s most notable regarding Conforto, although Scott’s statement was broad enough to suggest there’s nothing currently developing with other impending free agents Marcus Stroman or Noah Syndergaard either.

That there’s no movement on an extension in early May is not to say the Mets won’t be able to keep one or more of those players long-term. Scott didn’t suggest the Mets or any of the players were averse to future negotiations. There’s obviously still plenty of time in the season to discussion extensions with any or all of that group. Even if the players do reach the open market, nothing prevents the Mets from winning the free agent sweepstakes, just as the division-rival Phillies brought back J.T. Realmuto in January.

Conforto remains the most prominent of the Mets’ impending free agents. The 28-year-old outfielder placed seventh on MLBTR’s most recent free agent power rankings. Conforto got off to a slow start but has turned things around over the past few weeks, resulting in an overall .226/.368/.355 line over his first 114 plate appearances. That’s a step back from the cumulative .261/.365/.478 (128 wRC+) mark he compiled from 2018-20, but there’s reason to believe his bottom line numbers will improve as the season progresses.

Despite the low batting average, Conforto’s putting the bat on the ball more than ever. His 79.9% contact rate would be a career-best mark and is nearly five points higher than the league average. Meanwhile, Conforto’s swinging strike rate is at a career-low 8.5% and his plate discipline has remained strong, as evidenced by a 14.9% walk rate. His power production is down from recent seasons, but Statcast metrics suggest he’s still barreling balls at an above-average clip and making hard contact at a rate similar to past seasons. Leaguewide power production tends to improve as the year progresses and the weather gets warmer, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see Conforto find some more extra-base authority in the coming weeks and months.

Stroman and Syndergaard, meanwhile, have the potential to be among the top free agent starters available. The former is again scheduled to reach the market after accepting the Mets’ $18.9MM qualifying offer last winter. He’s off to a very strong start, working to a 2.10 ERA/3,57 SIERA over his first 34 1/3 innings. Stroman has never gotten huge strikeout totals, but he’s again finding plenty of success by throwing strikes (5.1% walk rate) and keeping the ball on the ground (55.1% grounder rate). Syndergaard is still on track to return from his March 2020 Tommy John surgery in June, giving him a couple months down the stretch to demonstrate he’s back to peak form.

Quick Hits: deGrom, Mets, Robert, Mondesi, Cron

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Jacob deGrom is scheduled to start Sunday’s game against the Diamondbacks, as the Mets ace reported no ill effects after a bullpen session.  DeGrom was scratched from his last start on Tuesday due to inflammation in his right lat, but “as we did the due diligence and work on it, it wasn’t something that anyone thought was a major issue,” Mets GM Zack Scott told The New York Daily News’ Deesha Thosar and other reporters.

In other Mets injury news, Scott said that Seth Lugo and Noah Syndergaard will begin rehab outings “in a week or so,” with Lugo (bone spur removal surgery) expected to make his 2021 debut by the end of May, and Syndergaard (Tommy John surgery) still ticketed for sometime in June.  The news isn’t as good for infielder Luis Guillorme, as Thosar tweeted yesterday that Guillorme is still feeling discomfort in his injured right oblique when he takes swings.  Guillorme is eligible to be activated from the injured list on Sunday, but he might not return for another week.

More from around baseball…

  • Luis Robert is facing a long absence from the White Sox lineup, but the outfielder will apparently avoid surgery on his Grade 3 hip flexor strain, the team revealed in its pregame notes package (hat tip to MLB.com’s Scott Merkin).  That likely counts as a small bit of good news for Robert, though it probably won’t materially change the possibility that his season could already be over.  The Sox have already announced that Robert will need 12-to-16 weeks just to resume baseball activities.
  • Adalberto Mondesi has yet to play this season due to a right oblique strain, though Royals manager Mike Matheny provided reporters (including MLB.com’s Bill Ladson) with another positive update on the shortstop’s condition.  The switch-hitting Mondesi cannot yet hit from the left side of the plate, though he can take batting practice and swing normally as a right-handed hitter.  Mondesi will soon be working out at the Royals’ Spring Training facility, and it isn’t yet known when he might embark on a rehab assignment.
  • Rockies first baseman C.J. Cron has missed the team’s last two games due to lower back tightness, and manager Bud Black told The Denver Post’s Patrick Saunders and other reporters that it isn’t yet clear if Cron will require an IL placement.  “We’re hoping it resolves itself the next day or two, to avoid the injured list…I think tomorrow and Monday are really big days when we evaluate C.J.,” Black said.  Signed to a minor league deal during the offseason, Cron has been a huge contributor for the Rockies, hitting .290/.394/.495 with five homers over his first 109 PA in a Colorado uniform.

Top Mets Pitching Prospect Matt Allan To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

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Tough news coming out of New York today as it was revealed that Matt Allan will undergo Tommy John surgery sometime this month, per Deesha Thosar of New York Daily News. Allan is the Mets’ top pitching prospect and their third-ranked prospect overall by both Fangraphs and Baseball America, who each place Ronny Mauricio and Francisco Alvarez in the top two spots.

Baseball Prospectus, however, slots Allan ahead of Alvarez as the Mets’ second-ranked prospect. Jeffrey Paternostro of BP wrote just a couple of days ago, “There isn’t a ton to look forward to in 2021 if you are a Mets prospect watcher. It’s a thin, top-heavy system. The top is quite good however, and Allan stands out as the prospect most likely to take a big step forward. His fastball velocity has continued to creep up as a pro, along with spin rates that push it into the plus-plus range. The breaking ball is a potential true hammer, and his changeup is coming along as well.” BP ranked Allan as the No. 79 prospect in all of baseball. He makes Fangraphs’ top-100 at No. 96, while Baseball America is a bit more bullish with a No. 86 valuation.

Allan was a third round draft pick in the 2019 draft. As such, the 20-year-old California native has just 10 1/3 innings of professional pitching to his name. After 8 1/3 innings in Rookie ball back in 2019, Allan was promoted to Low-A for one two-inning outing to close out his first professional campaign. He’ll now miss all of this season as well as a good chunk of 2022, tweets Newsday’s Tim Healey.

Mets Select Tommy Hunter, Transfer Carlos Carrasco To 60-Day IL

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The Mets announced Thursday that they’ve selected right-hander Tommy Hunter’s contract from Triple-A Syracuse and opened a spot on the 40-man roster by moving Carlos Carrasco from the 10-day IL to the 60-day IL. Righty Jordan Yamamoto was optioned to Syracuse to open a spot on the 26-man roster.

Carrasco has yet to pitch for the Mets this season due to a hamstring strain. His move to the 60-day IL means he’ll need to spend a total of 60 days there — not 60 days starting today. Factoring in the month-plus he’s already spent on the IL, this is largely a procedural move, as he’s yet to even formally embark on a minor league rehab assignment. He’ll now be required to be shelved through most of this month, but assuming he’d need multiple rehab starts, he wouldn’t have been available until mid-month at the absolute earliest.

The 34-year-old Hunter opened the year in Syracuse after inking a minor league pact with the Mets. He’s no stranger to the NL East, having spent the past three seasons with the Phillies organization and pitching to a combined 3.64 ERA in 94 innings of work.

Hunter had a rocky run as a starter early in his career, but since moving to the bullpen on a full-time basis back in 2013, he’s been a consistently solid reliever. In 394 innings out of the bullpen since that time, he’s logged a 3.24 ERA while striking out 20.7 percent of opponents against a tiny 5.2 percent walk rate. He’ll give the Mets yet another experienced arm to add to a late-inning mix that includes veterans Edwin Diaz, Trevor May, Miguel Castro, Aaron Loup and Jeurys Familia.

Mets Place Brandon Nimmo On Injured List

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The Mets are placing outfielder Brandon Nimmo on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to May 3 (via Tim Britton of the Athletic). Catcher Patrick Mazeika has been recalled in a corresponding move.

Nimmo left last Saturday’s game against the Phillies with a left index finger contusion. He came in as a defensive replacement on Sunday but hasn’t hit since suffering the injury. After Nimmo missed another couple games’ worth of action, the Mets have elected to place him on the IL and free up a spot on the active roster.

Even a brief absence from Nimmo is a tough blow to a Mets’ offense that had hit an underwhelming .240/.324/.364 entering play today. The 28-year-old has been stellar in the early going, raking at a .318/.430/.439 clip over his first 80 plate appearances. Nimmo has long been excellent at avoiding outs, but he looks to have taken his game to another level in 2021. Among qualified hitters, only Mike Trout, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bryce Harper have reached base at a better clip. Nimmo certainly won’t sustain a .465 batting average on balls in play, but he’s chasing fewer pitches than ever and should continue to draw plenty of walks when he returns.

With Nimmo out, the Mets figure to turn to Kevin Pillar and Albert Almora Jr. in center. Neither of those offseason signees has contributed much offensively this season after generally struggling at the dish in recent years.

Jacob deGrom Dealing With Right Lat Inflammation

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6:12pm: The MRI revealed inflammation in deGrom’s right lat, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports. While deGrom will take a few days off from throwing, the Mets don’t plan to place him on the injured list.

4:25pm: DeGrom will undergo an MRI this afternoon, manager Luis Rojas announced (via Healey).

4:04pm: The Mets have scratched ace Jacob deGrom from his scheduled start Tuesday because of “right side tightness,” Tim Healey of Newsday was among those to tweet. Righty Miguel Castro will take the ball against the Cardinals in deGrom’s place.

A major injury to deGrom could have a crippling effect on the Mets’ chances of contending for a playoff spot, but it doesn’t appear this is an especially serious issue, Jeff Passan of ESPN hears. Rather, deGrom may miss just one start, per Passan.

After a highly active offseason, the Mets have come out flat in 2021 with an 11-12 record, but deGrom certainly isn’t to blame. The two-time National League Cy Young winner is in top form at the age of 32, having pitched to a major league-leading 0.51 ERA over five starts and 35 innings. DeGrom is also pacing all starters in strikeout rate (48 percent) and swinging-strike rate (23 percent), and his K-BB percentage (44.7) is second only to the Brewers’ Corbin Burnes.

Mets Fire Hitting Coaches Chili Davis, Tom Slater

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The Mets have fired hitting coach Chili Davis and assistant hitting coach Tom Slater, Tim Britton of The Athletic was among those to report. Minor league hitting coordinator Hugh Quattlebaum will take over for Davis, and farm director Kevin Howard will succeed Slater.

New York made this decision in the wake of a 6-5 loss to St. Louis that dropped the team to a disappointing 11-12. A mediocre offensive performance has played a role in the Mets’ slow start, as their hitters currently rank 17th in the majors in wRC+ (96). Prized offseason pickup Francisco Lindor, whom the Mets acquired from the Indians and then signed to a 10-year, $341MM extension, has slumped over the Mets’ first 23 games. Likewise, outfielder/first baseman Dominic Smith has fallen flat after an excellent showing in 2020, as has $40MM free-agent signing James McCann.

Of course, it’s debatable how much blame Davis and Slater deserve for the above players’ struggles. It’s also worth noting J.D. Davis (who went on the 10-day injured list Monday), Brandon Nimmo and Pete Alonso have all gotten off to great starts. Regardless, the Mets are taking their coaching staff in another direction in hopes of breaking a four-year playoff drought.

In Davis, the Mets are saying goodbye to a former big league slugger whom they hired before 2019, when Mickey Callaway – not Luis Rojas – was their manager. Prior to that, Davis worked as the hitting coach for the Cubs, who relieved him of duties after the 2018 campaign. Slater joined the Mets’ staff as their assistant hitting coach a year earlier than Davis.

Mets Place J.D. Davis On 10-Day IL

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MAY 3: The Mets have placed Davis on the 10-day IL (retroactive to May 2) and recalled righty Trevor Hildenberger, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com tweets. Meanwhile, Nimmo is still active, but he’s not in the Mets’ lineup Monday.

MAY 1: The Mets’ 5-4 victory over the Phillies may have been a costly one, as New York saw two lineup regulars leave tonight’s game with injuries.  The Mets announced that Brandon Nimmo suffered a left index finger contusion that forced the outfielder to leave partway through a seventh inning at-bat, while third baseman J.D. Davis was replaced before the bottom of the seventh due to a left hand sprain.

X-rays were negative on Nimmo, which is a positive sign considering that Nimmo looked to be in pain after fouling off a pitch during his at-bat.  It isn’t clear how Davis hurt his hand — he struck out during a sixth-inning plate appearance and then played his position in the bottom of the sixth, seemingly with no issue.  It’s possible this latest problem could be related to Davis’ previous left hand injury, as he was hit by a Chase Anderson pitch on April 7 and ended up spending a 10-day minimum stint on the injured list.

Since returning from that injury, however, Davis has been among the game’s hottest hitters.  Entering tonight’s play, Davis had an outstanding .395/.489/.632 slash line and two homers over 45 plate appearances, with a 208 wRC+ that ranked seventh amongst all players in baseball with at least 40 PA.

Nimmo hasn’t been far behind in terms of productivity, hitting .339/.453/.468 in 76 PA heading into tonight’s game.  Nimmo’s .453 OBP was leading the National League, and ranked fourth overall in baseball (behind only Mike Trout, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Yermin Mercedes) among qualified players.

Davis and Nimmo have represented a major chunk of the Mets’ offense thus far in the season, as apart from Pete Alonso, virtually the entire New York lineup has struggled to begin the season.  The Mets finished April ranked last in the majors in both runs and home runs, as well as 29th in team slugging percentage, 22nd in OPS+, and 20th in wRC+.

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