Teams around the MLB reported to spring training Wednesday and Jacob deGrom, now of the Texas Rangers, is already sidelined with an injury.
Yes, seriously.
According to Kennedi Landry, who covers the Rangers for MLB.com, deGrom felt tightness in his left side in a bullpen session a couple of days ago.
“Jacob deGrom felt some tightness in his left side, and — given the cold weather and how early it is in camp, we’re told — they’re going to hold him back a day or two,” Levi Weaver, who covers the Rangers for The Athletic tweeted. “We’re told the seriousness level is such that he would play through it if it were the regular season.”
Out of an abundance of precaution, the Rangers are holding the two-time Cy Young Award-winning pitcher, for a day or two.
“It probably says more about me than it does Jake,” Rangers general manager Chris Young said via Landry on Twitter.
While the Rangers are already taking precautions, it’s a concerning development for deGrom, who signed a five-year deal worth $185 million with Texas this offseason. When healthy, deGrom is unquestionably one of the game’s best pitchers, but over his last two seasons with the New York Mets, there have been significant durability concerns. He made just a combined 26 starts in 2021 and 2022.
The MLB world reacted to the concerning injury news on Twitter. Many Mets fans seemed to be relieved that they no longer have to worry about deGrom’s durability.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.