The New York Mets entered spring training with two top-five starters in MLB on their roster: Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer.
They have five Cy Young awards between the two.
However, they also have advanced age and lots of injuries, so they had to know the odds of them missing time this season were rather high.
deGrom went down in spring training with a stress reaction in his right scapula, and healing/progress was not the quickest.
He is starting a throwing program but will require the equivalent of a regular spring training to be ready to return, possibly in July.
Scherzer, on the other hand, hurt himself while making a pitch on Wednesday’s start against the St. Louis Cardinals.
He has a “moderate to high grade internal oblique strain” and will be out for 6-8 weeks, according to the team.
Who Will Return First: deGrom Or Scherzer?
A Mets insider is now wondering who will return first between the two injured aces.
“Unfortunately for the Mets you can now wonder, who starts a game next for them: Scherzer or deGrom?”, the NY Post’s Joel Sherman tweeted on Thursday.
Unfortunately for the Mets you can now wonder, who starts a game next for them: Scherzer or deGrom?
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) May 19, 2022
It’s actually a legitimate question.
Depending on Scherzer’s recovery, he could beat deGrom to the Mets rotation if he stays closer to the six-week timeline.
Given his age, however (he is 37 years old), it’s likely that the Mets will take things slow with him and stick to the eight-week threshold instead, in which case deGrom could be the first one to return.
In any case, the Mets’ depth will be tested: they will need to show they can win games for a sustained period of time without their two aces.
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