The New York Mets have faced a slew of injuries to their pitching staff recently. The team placed ace Max Scherzer on the injured list with an oblique strain on May 19, and placed Tylor Megill on the 15-day injured list with biceps tendinitis before then.
But arguably their most important starter could make his return as early as next month.
On Tuesday’s edition of “The Show” podcast, hosted by the New York Post’s Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman, Heyman reported that he’s heard Jacob deGrom could return as soon as late June.
“deGrom, I finally heard a timetable,” Heyman said (as transcribed by Audacy.com). “Somebody with the Mets told me late June. To me, that seems optimistic. I’m looking at July, I think him and [Max] Scherzer coming back around the All-Star break makes sense.”
The Mets recently released an update stating that deGrom, who suffered a stress reaction in his right shoulder during spring training, was improving. They did not provide a public timetable for his return, however.
On Tuesday, deGrom was captured on video throwing on flat ground at Citi Field:
Getting deGrom back would undoubtedly provide a big boost for the Mets. In 15 starts last season, the 34-year-old had a 1.08 ERA with 146 strikeouts and 11 walks.
But the team might be able to wait until after the All-Star break based off of how well they’re playing in his absence.
Entering Tuesday, the Mets were 29-15 and had an eight-game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies. Their pitching staff was one of the best in baseball, boasting the seventh-lowest ERA (3.40) and sixth-lowest WHIP (1.13) in MLB.
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