When healthy, Texas Rangers ace Jacob deGrom is arguably the most dominant pitcher in the game.
A triple-digits fastball, three wicked secondary pitches, and elite command give him the tools to succeed.
And he has done just that, with a career 2.53 ERA and two Cy Young awards.
The problem is that he is not always healthy.
He tends to get injured, more than your average pitcher.
He missed a big portion of the 2021 season with a partial UCL tear, and a big chunk of 2022 with a stress fracture on his right scapula.
On April 29, he landed on the injured list again with right elbow inflammation.
On Thursday, Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said it could be two or three weeks before he returns.
Fans, of course, went to Twitter to react to the news.
Death. Taxes. Tom Izzo in March. Jacob DeGrom on the injured list.
— Adam Roy (@RoydRage12) May 11, 2023
Absolutely insane to give Degrom 5 years with all his issues…not our problem anymore…
Sad because when he was healthy…..was electric…— Mook (@Berliner4Marc) May 11, 2023
We get that he gets injured a lot, but some of the jokes on Twitter are really harsh on a guy that isn’t to blame.
Translation: Jacob DeGrom is out for the year. We just haven’t told everyone yet. https://t.co/bjQSouPHZC
— Jack ⚾️🍊 (@jackkruse04) May 11, 2023
Still, the injuries are to be expected and go right in line with his recent reputation: a game-changer who barely stays on the mound.
The last time deGrom pitched at least 200 innings was in 2019.
That was four years ago.
Hopefully his body doesn’t break down way sooner than expected because he really is a show inside the show.
In reality, the Rangers will revisit his situation in two or three weeks, and he could return within the next month.
That could be a best-case scenario for everyone involved.
The more I think about it, & this is sad to say, deGrom now falls in the Kluber/Sale/Harvey category of MLB pitchers; had tremendous early career success & potential, but injuries have just wiped all of that out
— Nick Fichtner (@nicky_numbers) May 11, 2023
He still has time to change his legacy.
NEXT: Rangers Share Latest Jacob deGrom Update
