On Thursday night, it was reported that New York Mets‘ ace Jacob deGrom had to interrupt a catch session because of soreness in his right shoulder.
The organization and fans alike immediately entered a state of panic: he is, when healthy, arguably MLB’s best pitcher.
The Mets sent him for an MRI on Friday morning, and the results are in.
ESPN insider Jeff Passan is reporting the severity of his injury.
“New York Mets right-hander Jacob deGrom will miss Opening Day after imaging showed a stress reaction in his right scapula, sources tell ESPN. While the timetable for deGrom’s return is unclear, he’s expected to miss a significant amount of time to start 2022. Story soon at ESPN,” he tweeted.
It’s a severe blow to the Mets’ hopes, but as of now, it appears he will be able to return to play this season, barring any additional consequences or re-aggravations.
deGrom Won’t Be Back For Weeks, Possibly Months
He will be out of action for a while, though.
“For now, Jacob deGrom will be shut down a month before he starts throwing again. After a month, the Mets will take a look at the area again and re-evaluate where he is and what the right course of action is going forward,” Passan also wrote.
For now, Jacob deGrom will be shut down a month before he starts throwing again. After a month, the Mets will take a look at the area again and re-evaluate where he is and what the right course of action is going forward.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) April 1, 2022
As things stand, deGrom will miss much more than a month, because that 30-day window is a shutdown period: he won’t be allowed to throw.
After that month, he will then need to clear any follow-up exams and, if he has no structural damage, restart a throwing program that could take several weeks: playing catch, throwing bullpens, facing hitters, and go to a rehab assignment, which will take weeks.
The right-hander could only pitch 92 innings last season with oblique, shoulder, and elbow issues, but he was elite (1.08 ERA).
It appears fans will have to wait to watch the best pitcher in the world back on the mound.
NEXT: MLB Insider Shares Latest Jacob deGrom Injury Update