New York Mets Rumors: Jacob deGrom DL Bound?

Recent New York Mets rumors are nothing fans want to hear about, as starting pitcher Jacob deGrom may go on the DL.

New York Mets rumors for a while revolved around the possibility of moving an outfielder to add an arm to the bullpen. Recent rumors are not something that fans want to hear, as it involves a player’s health. Starting pitcher Jacob deGrom has been dealing with a lat injury, and it looks like he may need a DL stint as a result.

deGrom started the Mets’ home opener against the Philadelphia Phillies on April 8th, and dominated as become accustomed in recent seasons. He threw six innings of one-run baseball, striking out six Phillies while giving up only five hits and zero walks. But, he threw only 76 pitches, and was lifted from the game as a precaution because of tightness in his right lat.

Despite the strong outing, deGrom was not near the top of his game. His fastball was sitting between 91-93 miles per hour, which is concerning since he struggled with his velocity throughout Spring Training. He struggled with what the Mets called back tightness at times during Spring Training, missing some throwing days early in the process.

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Against the Phillies, the Mets called the decision to remove deGrom from the game a precaution, but it seems like there was a little more to the decision. In the days following the start, Mets’ manager Terry Collins said that deGrom was extremely sore. Only two days later, it was announced that deGrom would have his next turn in the rotation skipped, which was this past Wednesday against the Miami Marlins.

deGrom was expected to join the team in Cleveland for their weekend series against the Cleveland Indians, but that did not happen. Instead, deGrom threw a light bullpen session in Florida on Friday. He was expected to throw another on Sunday in hopes of him ramping things up for his next scheduled start Tuesday against the Phillies once again.

Well, the Mets are not overly optimistic that deGrom will make that start, and a DL stint looks possible. According to ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin, the Mets do not believe these bullpen sessions will be enough to get deGrom up to speed to take the mound for a regular season game. He is expected to throw off flat ground on Saturday, and have a more intense bullpen Sunday.

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But, there are no guarantees that he makes it through those sessions without a problem. It is only the second week of the season, so there is no reason for the Mets to rush things with their talented starting pitcher. With that in mind, it seems that the Mets are leaning towards a DL stint for deGrom.

The amount of time spent not throwing is a lot to overcome, so the Mets do not want the injury to be a reoccurring one throughout the season. If deGrom is to miss more time, expect Logan Verrett, who took his start against the Marlins, to step into the rotation or former top prospect Rafael Montero to get a shot.

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Montero was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas to give the Mets some insurance in case deGrom could not go and an extra arm was needed in the bullpen.