Jacob deGrom Exits Thursday's Start Early With Injury

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Jacob deGrom Exits Thursday's Start Early With Injury

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Andrew Jamieson | Last updated Aug 14, 2026 11:06 AM ET

The Texas Rangers are holding their breath with Jacob deGrom.

On a night when the 38-year-old entered Thursday's start against the Los Angeles Angels five strikeouts away from 2,000 for his career, an injury occurred.

deGrom exited the Rangers' 7-0 loss to the Angels after two innings with right tricep fatigue. The right-hander allowed two runs on six hits and a walk while recording three strikeouts over 53 pitches (35 strikes).

Postgame, deGrom shared that he doesn't think the injury is serious.

“I’m not too concerned,” deGrom said. “Hopefully I’ll make my next [start], we’ll see. Tonight, in the second, it was tight and just didn’t want to loosen up. I haven’t really had that before.”

deGrom remains two strikeouts shy of 2,000 and is likely to undergo imaging on Friday.

Jacob deGrom was removed from the game after two innings due to right tricep fatigue

: ABTV pic.twitter.com/jMkCrBINi7
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) August 14, 2026

deGrom's injury is just the latest for a depleted Rangers' starting rotation. Nathan Eovaldi landed on the 15-day injured list on Monday, retroactive to Aug. 9, because of right posterior elbow inflammation. Meanwhile, Jack Leiter has not pitched since June 18 after undergoing arthroscopic surgery to remove a loose body in his right ankle.

Fortunately, the 26-year-old took a major step toward a major league return on Thursday. Leiter tossed 2.2 scoreless innings in his first rehab start with Triple-A Round Rock, giving up only one hit and one walk while striking out three over 48 pitches (32 strikes).

Losing deGrom for any time would be an enormous loss for Texas. Despite nursing a hip and glute issue since right before the All-Star break, the two-time Cy Young Award winner has been the Rangers' most reliable starter this season.

Through 23 starts, deGrom is 8-8 with a 3.95 ERA and 1.17 WHIP over 120.2 innings. He has struck out 147 batters and issued just 31 walks while holding opposing hitters to a .237 batting average.

deGrom has not landed on the injured list since missing almost all of the 2023 and 2024 seasons due to Tommy John surgery in June 2023.

We'll find out the severity of Jacob deGrom's tricep fatigue after the game, but with his glute/hip soreness already a thing and with Nathan Eovaldi on the injured list, the Rangers are in a brutal position with their two horses right now.
— Shawn McFarland (@McFarland_Shawn) August 14, 2026

If he is forced to miss a start, Jordan Montgomery, who recently returned to the majors after missing all of 2025 due to Tommy John surgery, could fill a rotation spot.

The 33-year-old southpaw has struggled in two relief appearances so far, allowing seven runs on 12 hits (two home runs) and a walk over six innings. Still, his experience as a starter should make him a realistic option if deGrom ends up on the injured list.

Should the Rangers lose deGrom for any time, their playoff chances would likely take a hit. Texas has struggled to stay above .500 all season and currently sits two games under that mark (60-62) and two games behind the American League West-leading Houston Astros.

The Rangers didn't do themselves any favors in getting over that hump against the Angels, losing three of four. Texas continues its road trip Friday against the Athletics at 9:40 pm ET.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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