deGrom Reveals Newest Nolan Ryan Connection

Nearly a week removed from surgery on his torn UCL, Texas Rangers pitcher Jacob deGrom was back in the clubhouse and ready to reveal what everyone wanted to know — his newborn son's name.

Before deGrom learned the true extent of his injury, he made a detour to Florida for the birth of his son two weekends ago. He and his wife, Stacey, had a name picked out well before he signed his five-year deal with the Rangers.

The name? Nolan.

deGrom, naturally, knows what the name Nolan means in Texas. He and his wife even had a conversation about whether to move ahead with it.

“We talked about it and we were like, ‘Uhhhh, should we still do it,’” deGrom said in his first comments to the media since the surgery.

They did. The baby’s full name is Nolan Myles deGrom.

As for the surgery, deGrom said the repair went well. That's the hard part, he said.

The procedure was reconstructive surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament performed by the Rangers’ surgeon, Dr. Keith Meister. deGrom’s goal is to return by August of 2024, approximately 14 months away. That’s the mid-range of recovery from Tommy John surgery. deGrom had the same injury and surgery in 2010 with the New York Mets.

For the next three weeks, he’ll have a brace on his right arm and watch home games from the bullpen. He calls that a preventative measure, as there’s more action in the dugout and less chance of someone accidentally hitting his arm. His rehab is already underway and he’s set to attend sessions five days a week.

“I know what it takes to come back,” deGrom said. “It takes a lot of hard work and sticking with the program, not trying to do too much. That’s where it became tricky my first time. I felt good and really wanted to keep going.”

deGrom is in the first year of a five-year, $185 million deal he signed with the Rangers in the offseason.

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