Spring training has just begun for MLB teams across the league, and the Texas Rangers’ prized offseason acquisition Jacob deGrom is already dealing with injury.
DeGrom strained his left side during his last outing in the bullpen, according to multiple reports, and the Rangers are going to exercise extreme caution and keep him from pitching.
Rangers general manager Chris Young said it will be «a day or two» before deGrom has his first workout with his new team in Arizona.
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Jacob deGrom of the New York Mets in action against the San Diego Padres during Game 2 of a National League Wild Card Series at Citi Field on October 8, 2022, in the Flushing neighborhood of the city’s borough of Queens from New York. (Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
«This is as much about the first day of spring training as it is about anything else,» Young told reporters Wednesday via the Dallas Morning News. «We’re more concerned with planning for March 30. It’s cold and wet and we’re going to have to tweak some of what we do anyway. He’s got six bullpens in it. He’s competitive and he wants to be there. This probably says more about me than about him».
Out of caution or not, the Rangers acknowledge that while deGrom is one of the most dominant pitchers in the game, he has struggled to stay on the mound in recent seasons.
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DeGrom, who is 34 and entering his 10th MLB season, has missed significant time over the past two seasons due to injury. He was unable to pitch in an MLB game until Aug. 2 of last season due to a stress reaction in his right scapula he suffered during spring training.
Jacob deGrom of the New York Mets in action against the San Diego Padres during Game 2 of a National League Wild Card Series at Citi Field on October 8, 2022, in the Flushing neighborhood of the city’s borough of Queens from New York. (Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
He also dealt with a «mystery injury» in 2021 that the Mets eventually revealed was a UCL sprain. It was initially called right elbow inflammation, but Sandy Alderson pushed it further, which deGrom didn’t like too much.
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DeGrom has made just 26 starts over the past two seasons, 38 if you count the abbreviated 2020 season.
The Rangers signed him to a five-year, $185 million contract that includes a sixth-year option that would bring the total to $222 million.
Jacob deGrom of the Texas Rangers addresses the media at an introductory press conference at Globe Life Field on December 8, 2022 in Arlington, Texas. (Ben Ludeman/Texas Rangers/Getty Images)
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They just hope deGrom can take the ball every five days when the season begins on March 30 against the reigning National League champion Philadelphia Phillies.