With just over a week to go before the shortened season begins, the Mets received troubling news about their ace, when Jacob deGrom left Tuesday’s intra-box game at Citi Field after just a tense back inning.
No further information was provided, but deGrom is arguably the last player the Mets can afford to lose. It is slated to begin Opening Day July 24 against Atlanta in Queens and looked good both in March at Port St. Lucie and at Spring 2.0 training in Queens.
He pitched three innings in his first intra-squad outing and was expected to increase his pitch count on Tuesday, followed by a start in Saturday’s exhibition game against the Yankees before the season opener.
Now those plans are in doubt, as the health of the 32-year-old woman is in doubt.
The Mets are already entering the season without Noah Syndergaard, who had Tommy John surgery this spring.
Any absence of deGrom would be difficult for the Mets, but that would be especially true in a truncated season.
DeGrom showed no obvious signs of discomfort during his only entry Tuesday. He gave up a single and a walk in the goalless frame, but didn’t come out for the second inning and was replaced by left-hander Justin Wilson.
The team announced the injury shortly after the game ended.
DeGrom also experienced low back strain during spring training in 2018 before winning his first National League Cy Young Award. He pitched more than 200 innings each of his past three years.
This season, the right-hander is trying to become the third pitcher to win up to three consecutive Cy Young Awards. In each of those award-winning years, deGrom has started relatively slowly before strengthening during the season.
He’ll have less time to make up for a slow start this season.
But most importantly for the Mets, they are expected to compete in the National League East, and especially they cannot afford to be without their ace for an extended period of time in a regular 60 game season.
Without Syndergaard, they were ready to go with a rotation from deGrom, Marcus Stroman, Steven Matz, Michael Wacha and Rick Porcello.
And as much as the loss of Syndergaard hurt, the deGrom would feel even more.
They have Seth Lugo and possibly Robert Gsellman, but both are likely to stay in the bullpen. Walker Lockett, Corey Oswalt, and prospect David Peterson would also be potential candidates to start if deGrom can’t go.
No matter who the Mets found, they wouldn’t compare to deGrom, who has delivered tremendous straight seasons. He ended 2018 with a 1.70 ERA and followed with a 2.43 ERA last season. And deGrom made 32 starts in each of those years.
Last week, he acknowledged that winning a Cy Young would not be the same as the previous two, as it would come in a shortened season that was shortened first by the COVID-19 pandemic and then by a labor dispute between MLB and the players association.
“I would say there definitely has to be some difference there, 12 starts versus 32 or 33,” the Mets ace said last Monday. “There are a lot of things that can happen at a given start, and you usually play 162 games and 200 innings. I don’t think [winning the award] I would feel the same way, but he’s definitely still a target. “
Now, much more than hardware could be in jeopardy.
With a potentially healthy Yoenis Cespedes, the Mets have big plans for this strange season, with deGrom even watching the World Series.
“When it comes to the team coming together under these circumstances and finding a way to win, I think it’s a team effort that would lead everyone to follow these guidelines and stay on the field,” deGrom said. “I think it’s something that you would definitely celebrate.”
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