The championship aspirations of the New York Mets rely heavily on Jacob deGrom. The superstar pitcher has to be close to full health in order for the team to truly compete. The one-two punch with him and Max Scherzer highlights the reasons that this upcoming season could truly be a special one in Queens.

When deGrom is healthy, there are very few pitchers who can match the two-time Cy Young Award winner's production. But as the 33-year-old has not had great injury luck in the past. His misfortune only continues as the Mets look to establish themselves as a true powerhouse.

On Thursday, Mets manager Buck Showalter announced that deGrom is dealing with tightness in his right shoulder. New York scratched him from his scheduled start in Friday's contest against the St. Louis Cardinals and he will receive an MRI exam. His status for Opening Day is now in question.

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Although shoulder tightness is usually nothing to get too concerned about, deGrom went through this last season. The Mets' ace began feeling the tightness early in the season. He was able to pitch through it but eventually injured the UCL in his right elbow and was shut down for the remainder of the season. deGrom had made a full recovery in time to be back by the end of the year but in his absence, New York floundered.

deGrom having Max Scherzer back him up takes some of the heat off the Mets. Their starting pitching rotation has some impressive depth with Chris Bassitt, Carlos Carrasco and Taijuan Walker. But without their ace, their chances of competing at the highest level are much slimmer.