Mets ace Jacob deGrom is roughly 10 days away from beginning bullpen sessions, a team official tells MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo. With this timeline in mind, deGrom’s best-case scenario would be a return in late September, though perhaps for only a game or two at the most. “Even then, it’s likely only to be in abbreviated spurts,” DiComo writes, so deGrom could be something of a glorified opener more than a proper starting pitcher.
Mets pitching coach Jeremy Hefner updated reporters (including Mike Puma of The New York Post) on deGrom’s current work, saying that the former NL Cy Young Award winner has been playing catch at 75 feet. Once deGrom reaches 125-130 feet, a bullpen session can be considered.
In short, there still isn’t much clarity about whether or not deGrom could return to the mound at all this season. It is fair to say that the Mets’ place in the standings will play a factor, as if the Mets aren’t in the playoff race, the team could decide to just shut deGrom down. That said, Hefner noted that “It just depends on how he reacts to the throwing. It’s no different than if we were in April. The timeline doesn’t change because we are in September. Obviously we want him to pitch, but we have to go through the necessary steps to make sure that he’s not only healthy this season, but he’s also healthy for the rest of his career.”
DeGrom last appeared in a game on July 7, as he was placed on the injured list due to forearm tightness and elbow inflammation. This 10-day IL stint was extended to a 60-day placement following a setback in his rehab, so deGrom isn’t eligible to return until September 15, though it appears he won’t be back when first eligible.
This long absence has spoiled an all-timer of a season for deGrom, who posted a 1.08 ERA over his first 92 innings of the season. While a lack of hitting has been the biggest problem for the Mets this season, it isn’t hard to imagine that a healthy deGrom could have carried New York into a playoff position, considering the Mets entered the day four games back in both the NL East race and the wild card race.
Hopefully the Mets aren’t rushing deGrom back. He is definitely the best starting pitcher right now if healthy.
The Crime Dog should absolutely be in the HOF
As of the Mets don’t need anymore PR disasters, what if deGrom returns and re-injuries whatever he’s dealing with a needs surgery that knocks him out for most or all of next year.
Mets are better off throwing in the towel and shutting down deGrom and protecting that asset as much as you can for a pitcher and plan on winning next year.
Why bother. Even if they were in the hunt it really wouldn’t be worth it.
deGrom has undoubtably lead the league in mWAR this year
If he was healthy, we could have had 2 pitchers win MVP this year.
Over/under on “minutes after the Mets are mathematically eliminated that deGrom ‘has a setback'” if we say 5?
Under five
Even if the nets are in it, he needs to be shut down. The 10 innings he.may provide are not worth it. That’s why he is on the DL all year because the mets don’t know what they are doing.
He was on the IL cuz he’s been injured. Has nothing to do with the Mets’ competence. Nice try though.
Of course it did. He was hurt, kept trying to power through it because he’s a competitor and got himself even more hurt to where he missed half the season. A decent run franchise would not have allowed that to occur and let him be 100% before getting back on the mound because he is their best player.
Do you post on mets blog? You should.
You’d fit right in.
Can this be Matt Cerrone’s burner?
@mils100 – The Mets’ medical staff had to clear him to pitch after each of his trips to the IL, so they didn’t do anything differently than any other team would have done with an important injured player. Keep in mind deGrom hit the IL this year for separate injuries (I believe one was a lat strain or core muscle strain), so it’s not like they kept running him back out there with the same injury hoping he could pitch through it. He just ran into some bad luck, or his age / wear & tear finally caught up to him, but there’s no sign that Mets management or the Mets doctors mishandled deGrom’s rehab. The team followed the doctors orders, he hit a set back and they appropriately hit the 60 day pause button to protect their best player. I think the Mets handled deGrom’s injury just fine, and I am by no means a Mets fan. I am a big deGrom fan though and miss seeing him out there. I would have loved to see what his final ERA would have been had he been healthy all year.
I just have to disagree. When a pitcher is off on one issue, it can very well lead to issues elsewhere. Even if they are unrelated, there was 0 reason for DeGrom to be pitching in June. I don’t root for the Mets either but the Mets training staff to say the least isn’t exactly getting the job done as indicated by their massive amount of injuries every year.
If after every start, your pitcher is having a new injury, I am not putting him back out there no matter what until he feels 100%. Maybe the same thing happens but what the Mets did this year didn’t work. I don’t see where that is such a wild opinion. If my superstar pitcher takes himself out of a game, he doesn’t start 5 days later.
Nonsense. Are you suggesting no other team has ever had a team play through some pain? You’ve no evidence whatsoever for your assertion.
Best opener in baseball.
All this is speculation. He hasn’t even progressed to throwing a bull pen session. No way to tell how he’ll react. He has had TJ Surgery. He had ulnar surgery in 2016. He is signed through 2023 (if I recall but I haven’t looked up recently). At most he will build up to a few innings. He had elbow inflammation and forearm tightness. Best case scenario appears to be maybe two appearances.
Why gamble? Shut him down, let him rehab till next year. Even if they get a wild card their hitting sucks and they are very unlikely to make it to the world series as their are several far superior teams in the NL. They don’t match well against the Giants or Dodgers for sure, probably the Brew Crew too.
It would be very Met like if he tried to pitch again this season and suffered an injury necessitating (another) TJ surgery.
Worry about your Dodgers … It’s NOT A 60
Season To Win The World Series This Year
Found Steve Cohen’s burner.
What’s funny, is the dodgers have excelled in the last 30 games. They were in first yesterday for first time in 4 months. While the Mets have floundered majestically from game 61- today
you really want to talk?
Those Dodgers have had so much trouble winning games in a 162 game season, that 60 game season was a godsend!
Mets seem to not be able to do anything in 60 or 162 games.
Heck, my Marlins were able to at least make the Playoffs in 60 games as a rebuilding team. Mets couldn’t even do that. At least the Dodgers make the Playoffs in 162 while winning the World Series in a 60-game season. Mets haven’t done anything in either length of season.
I’m pretty sure you are MetsFan22
It does sound like him, but I’m sure it’s one of the other dimwits that has conveniently come out again now that the Mets are winning again against the teams planning for next year. We can probably expect a return from @WhyNot soon.
But when they fall again, we’ll see them disappear again. At least @MetsFan22 has stuck around like a real fan, unlike these fairweather fans.
Frankie what does that even mean they have trouble winning in 162 game schedule?
hmm. And here I thought being on pace to win 100 games the last 3 years.. and again this year… was good. Or you know, 3 of the last 4 NL pennants and AGAIN being right there for best record in baseball
But I’ll certainly take notes from a Mets fan about winning! Thank you for your kindness
Mets7300. It was a 60 game schedule for the Mets. Why weren’t they even in the World Series? I will breathless await your insightful response.
But it’s okay with me if deGrom comes back and blows out his elbow again in a meaningless comeback attempt. Then the Dodgers won’t have to worry about playing against him.
The Mets have stunk as an organization for a very long time. And they would further prove that point by brining him back and blowing out his elbow. Again. They have zero chance of winning the World Series. Zero.
Dodgers don’t have to worry about deGrom. What are the odds of the Mets making the Playoffs? The Braves will have to completely choke, and the Mets have to play well against teams that are good or motivated to beat them. What are the odds of that happening?
Here’s a hint. It’s September. The Braves are leading. The Phillies are in the race too. Baez likes to squawk. The Mets have more games against the Nats and Marlins. How has this worked in history for the Mets? Ahem….
The idea to have him throw now is to see if he will be available for 2022 or require surgery. I believe Chris Sale waited until spring training to discover he needed TJS and lost last season and most of this season. The Mets concerns about the conditions you mentioned are that another TJS might be required.
RJ the idea that the Mets would allow a hypercompetative player like deGrom to pitch under game conditions as suggested by several Mets fans here is the issue. One thing to monitor his rehab through the end of the season send into the fall. Quite another to assume he will or should be pitching. The MRI or MRE scans should show whether he has structural damage suggesting the need for TJ. If he does need a third elbow surgery this very well might be the end of his career.
Ever since the sticky substance became a suspend able thing Degrom has been on the shelf?
Actually, ever since @MetFan22 said that deGrom was a lock for the Hall of Fame, and didn’t need to do anything else, deGrom has been hurt starting with the first start after those comments by @MetsFan22.
Interesting enough, I and a couple of others jokingly said that @MetFan22 stating that, was the “kiss of death” for deGrom’s career considering @MetsFan22’s history with predictions that go horribly and laughably wrong.
Shut him down. This could be his career. The Mets have an outside chance at the division, but they’ve gotten crushed by actual playoff contenders. This isn’t the year they’re winning it all. Do not destroy the best pitcher in baseball.
I suspect we won’t see Jacob pitch again this season. The Mets are going to try and build him back up to game shape in the coming weeks on the short chance they make the postseason. They need to begin that process within the next week for him to be ready by late September. What likely will happen is the Mets will be effectively eliminated by the time deGrom can pitch, and at that point they’ll shut him down. If they were further out now, they’d shut him down today for the season, but there’s a small chance, so they’ll begin preparing just in case. You won’t see him in a MLB game until 2022.
Rob he won’t even be throwing off the mound for 10-14 days. No way he gets built up, if at all, for more than a couple, three at most, innings. I am watching what the Dodgers are doing with Kershaw right now and he doesn’t have a history of two elbow surgeries. But we agree it would be foolish to bring him back. The Mets might or might make the playoffs. I don’t think so. With or without deGrom they have no chance of a World Series win. They lack clutch hitting and deGrom is not providing that. Right now they are a-19 in run differential. The Dodgers, by contrast, a +210 plus.
TJ inbound. Sorry metsfan22