JUPITER, Fla. — Jacob deGrom will not make his Opening Day start, and several more after that.
DeGrom’s MRI revealed “a stress reaction on his scapula that has caused inflammation in the area,” the Mets announced on Friday.
He has been shut down from throwing for up to four weeks, then will be re-evaluated with another MRI.
“Again, it’s really hard to say,” Mets GM Billy Eppler said on Friday when asked when he realistically expects deGrom to be pitching a major-league game. “MRIs guide you, but you treat patients. There could be situations where we manipulate the shoulder a little bit, move him around, test him. 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.”
Based on that timeline, and the amount of days it will take for the Mets ace to build back up, deGrom’s best-case scenario is missing anywhere from 7-8 weeks of the regular season. He last pitched in an MLB game on July 7, 2021 and missed the entire second half of the season with right elbow inflammation. In addition to the elbow injury, deGrom also dealt with back stiffness, right lat and side tightness, right flexor tendinitis and right shoulder soreness in 2021.
DeGrom, a two-time Cy Young winner and widely respected as the best pitcher in baseball, recorded a 1.08 ERA in 15 starts last season. Since his 2019 Cy Young season, he’s made 27 starts and pitched 160 innings combined over the past two years.
“I mean, he’s disappointed,” Eppler said of deGrom’s reaction. “We’re disappointed. Everybody is sharing in the disappointment right now. Nobody is immune to that.”
Max Scherzer is expected to take the hill against the Nationals on Opening Day in Washington, D.C. on Thursday. Eppler said he will speak to manager Buck Showalter before officially naming Scherzer the Mets’ new Opening Day starter. Showalter, too, was hesitant to immediately confirm Scherzer will replace deGrom for the first game of the season. Maybe the front office has another idea planned. But likely, Eppler and Showalter prefer to first speak with Scherzer and other pitchers before discussing upcoming plans with reporters.
“We’re going to do everything we can to support him in every which way we can,” Eppler said. “Jake’s a resilient person. With time, things heal. And so this is another situation where some time will have him healed and we’ll get him back on the hill.”
The Mets first learned of deGrom’s shoulder injury on Thursday, after he played catch. Eppler on Friday said the stress reaction is an injury that built up over time. Matt Harvey and Michael Wacha are at least two other known pitchers who dealt with stress reactions in their scapulas during their careers. Both Eppler and Showalter emphasized that time and rest will heal deGrom’s shoulder injury.
Eppler said deGrom’s immediate absence does not motivate him to acquire pitching help from outside of the organization. The GM said he feels confident in the Mets’ pitching depth, but would not immediately name whom the team will promote to the rotation.
Arms who have spent time building up at spring training include right-handers Tylor Megill and Trevor Williams, as well as left-hander David Peterson.
“I’m not lessening it,” the always-optimistic Showalter said of deGrom’s injury. “He’s really good at what he does and we won’t have that for a period of time. But now an opportunity presents itself for somebody to step forward.”
Since deGrom had felt healthy so far in spring, and the elbow inflammation that bothered him last year is still not an issue, the Mets had initially hoped the right-hander would recover in 2-3 days.
DeGrom, who walked into camp three weeks ago appearing physically stronger, emphasized taking a little bit off of his fastball this spring training. Instead of the 101-102 mph fastballs fans had come to expect from deGrom at this time of year, his heater was sitting 97-98 mph throughout two Grapefruit League starts. DeGrom said he liked the way the ball was coming out and his motion was smoother than years past.
Yet, despite all the effort and time spent on certain adjustments, deGrom is dealing with his seventh different injury in the last year alone. Now, the Mets’ much-anticipated deGrom-Scherzer 1-2 punch is on the shelf, indefinitely. DeGrom said he plans to opt-out of his contract at the end of the year and become a free agent — making this season that much more vital for the Mets ace.
“The sky’s not falling,” Showalter said. “It’s just raining.”
