Jacob deGrom, the star pitcher for the Texas Rangers, has undergone tests after experiencing tightness in his lower right forearm near his wrist. This comes after two early exits in his past three starts because of the same issue. DeGrom left his start against the New York Yankees with two outs in the fourth inning due to the discomfort on Friday night, just 11 days after he left a game against Kansas City in the fourth inning due to the same problem.
The Waiting Game
Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy reported that they are still waiting for the results from the ongoing evaluations on deGrom. The two-time National League Cy Young Award winner, who signed a $185 million, five-year contract with Texas, had been restricted to just 30 1/3 innings, despite winning all six games he started in. Bochy said they would wait for the doctors’ verdict before deciding whether deGrom would need additional time or not.
Past Injuries
DeGrom played the first nine seasons of his big-league career with the New York Mets. He spent the past two years plagued by injuries, limiting him to 156 1/3 innings over 26 starts. Before missing the final three months of the 2021 season with right forearm tightness and a sprained elbow, deGrom had a career-low 1.08 ERA over 92 innings. He was then sidelined late in spring training in 2022 due to a stress reaction in his right scapula and did not make his first big league start until August 2.
The Optismistic Outlook
Bochy expressed optimism about the situation, given that they had been through this before. After deGrom left a game in Kansas City on April 17, the Rangers said the move was precautionary because of wrist soreness. Bochy said Friday’s decision was also precautionary, and deGrom had forearm tightness. DeGrom had struck out 11 batters and allowed only one earned run over six innings in a win against Oakland last Sunday, between the two starts where he experienced forearm issues.
Despite the team’s success with deGrom on the mound, the Rangers will be cautious with their star pitcher and wait for the evaluation results before making any decisions about his future appearances.
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