As the New York Mets continued with their exhibition games, they made a decision that foreshadowed something bad. Jacob deGrom was scratched from his most recent Spring Training game due to shoulder tightness. Now, the team's worst fears regarding their ace pitcher's injury are now a reality.
The Mets announced that deGrom has suffered a stress reaction in his right scapula and that he will be sidelined for up to four weeks. He was slated to start on Opening Day but will now miss a big chunk of the regular season, which starts next week.
Jacob deGrom underwent an MRI today that revealed a stress reaction on his scapula that has caused inflammation in the area. The immediate prescription is for Jake to discontinue throwing for up to 4 weeks and then reimage the area. At that time, we’ll update the plan of care.
— New York Mets (@Mets) April 1, 2022
ESPN's Jeff Passan reported that there is no damage to the muscles, tendons or ligaments in deGrom's shoulder. Although things could be worse for the two-time Cy Young Award winner, missing any amount of time is a brutal development.
The 33-year-old deGrom is coming off of an injury-plagued season that only saw him pitch 92.0 innings. The Mets' superstar dominated in the time he was healthy, posting a 1.08 ERA and 14.03 strikeouts per nine innings, both of which are career highs. He also allowed just 3.9 hits per nine innings and posted a FIP of 1.24 and a WHIP of 0.554, which are all the best of his career.
New York came into this season with very high hopes after a huge offseason. The loss of deGrom stings less because they signed Max Scherzer and fortified their pitching depth by trading for Chris Bassitt. The Mets added tons of strong bats to give them a very intimidating roster, though deGrom was the primary piece to it all. His health is paramount to their success.
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