MLB Rumors: Cardinals trade, Jacob deGrom injury, Cubs benching
By Mark Powell
MLB Rumors: How much time will Jacob deGrom miss?
We all know how this typically goes for Jacob deGrom. The right-handed star goes down with some sort of freak injury, claims he’ll be back sometime soon, and then heads to an extended IL stint.
Yet, deGrom claims this time is different. Despite the narrative around the Rangers ace — particularly the one in which he can’t stay healthy for an entire big-league season — deGrom claims he’ll make his next start after exiting Texas’s game agains the Royals with a wrist ailment.
deGrom exited the contest as a precaution, and claimed to the media that he could have kept pitching if need be.
Jacob deGrom tells reporters that he probably could have kept going and isn't too concerned about his right wrist soreness. He hopes to make his next start this weekend. #Rangers
— Jeff Wilson (@JeffWilsonTXR) April 18, 2023
Now, it’s a good thing deGrom did not continue throwing. Wrist injuries can turn severe quickly when there’s a lot of stress on the arm. deGrom is one of the best pitchers in baseball, and surely would have added some intensity behind his pitches.
“I felt it a little bit warming up,” deGrom said. “I thought it was going to loosen up and it actually tightened up a little bit as the game went on. We’re playing it smart. Could I have kept going? Probably. But it was lingering and it got a little bit worse as the game went on. I just want to play it safe. We’ve got a long season ahead of us.”
If you think Mets fans became frustrated with deGrom’s injuries towards the tail end of his tenure, just think about the player himself. deGrom knows what he’s capable of, but he’s only been able to show it about half of his eligible starts in recent years.