Jacob deGrom Struggles but New York Mets Return Could be Next

It wasn’t necessarily pretty results-wise, but Jacob deGrom completed his fourth rehab start, and fifth rehab outing overall, on Wednesday afternoon without any hiccups.

In his second start for Triple-A Syracuse, DeGrom went four innings, allowing four earned runs, two home runs, three walks and six strikeouts. He threw 67 pitches, which was eight pitches shy of his 75-pitch goal. However, there was no guarantee that he would’ve stayed at or under the limit if allowed to face another batter across an additional up-and-down.

Now, next steps have yet to be determined, but if DeGrom avoids any physical issues or ailments in the coming days, his next start could realistically come in the majors when the Mets travel to D.C. next week for a series with the Washington Nationals from August 1-3. 

DeGrom has mostly pitched on an extra day of rest during his rehab assignment, which would potentially put him in line to take the mound for the Mets on Tuesday, August 2. Coincidentally, this would be the same day as MLB’s trade deadline.

The Mets’ starting rotation has dominated over the course of the past month. Overall, New York is 51-5 when scoring four or more runs, which speaks volumes to their staff. Inject deGrom into the mix, a two-time Cy Young winner, paired with three-time Cy Young recipient Max Scherzer, and this unit looks even scarier. 

DeGrom hasn’t pitched in a regular season game since July 7, 2021. He has yet to make his season debut this year due to a shoulder injury suffered in the end of spring training. 

DeGrom could soon snap his prolonged streak away from the majors by making his long awaited return next turn in the rotation. 

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