New York Mets fans can breathe easy when it comes to the status of star right-hander and National League MVP candidate Jacob deGrom.
The Mets ace left Wednesday's start against the Chicago Cubs with shoulder discomfort and openly vented frustration at some of his injury issues this season during his postgame press conference. Manager Luis Rojas said deGrom would undergo examination, though neither sounded especially rosy.
Fortunately, deGrom appears to have avoided a serious setback. Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported the two-time NL Cy Young Award-winner saw a doctor Thursday morning, with the doctor seeing no serious issues. Heyman added deGrom will get a second opinion.
deGrom (shoulder) saw one doctor today, who saw no issues. Mets are sending the NL MVP favorite for a second opinion as they understand the significance. But so far it’s a big relief!
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) June 17, 2021
This is terrific news for the Mets as they continue to build momentum in the NL East.
DeGrom has been the most dominant force in baseball this season. He has a 0.54 ERA and 0.51 WHIP in 11 starts, leading the majors in ERA, WHIP, fielding independent pitching (0.79), strikeouts per nine innings (14.9) and ERA+ (719). Basically, deGrom leads the bigs in every major statistical category.
It's not just the numbers. DeGrom averages over 99 mph with the fastball and wipes hitters away with a 90 mph slider that has late action. He locates to every quadrant of the zone and consistently beats hitters above the hands with high heat.
A lengthy deGrom absence would have been bad news for a Mets rotation already lacking in depth at the back end. Injuries to Carlos Carrasco and Noah Syndergaard have prompted New York to insert left-handers David Peterson and Joey Lucchesi into the mix, with both guys producing mixed results.
It seems likely deGrom could miss a turn for the rotation. Maybe the Mets even consider shutting him down for a time. However, he appears to have dodged a bullet.
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