Texas Rangers ace Jacob deGrom was placed on the injured list with right elbow inflammation, and he's not going to be returning any time soon.
The Texas Rangers needed to bolster their starting rotation this past offseason, and they aimed for one of the best pitchers available in free agency — Jacob deGrom. While deGrom had been one of the most dominant pitchers in recent memory, he has dealt with a variety of injuries the past couple of years, so signing him was a bit of a risk.
As it turns out, the Rangers learned of that rather quickly. In spring training, he dealt with left-side tightness. In mid-April, he left a start against the Kansas City Royals due to right wrist soreness. Then, on Apr. 28, he was pulled from the team's game against the New York Yankees with what was determined to be right elbow inflammation. He was placed on the 15-day injured list, but there was no official update as to when he could return.
Well on Monday, June 5, the Rangers announced that they have placed deGrom on the 60-day injured list. With this move, the team activated right-handed pitcher Spencer Howard. So with that, the soonest he can return is June 28. But comments from the team show that that's anything but a given.
Rangers place Jacob deGrom on the 60-day injured list
According to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, the Rangers are going to have deGrom undergo a second MRI this Tuesday, June 6, to see if he is progressing. Grant also got word from Rangers general manager Chris Young, who said that while he's confident deGrom will pitch, he just doesn't know the timing.
"I believe he's the best pitcher in the world when he's healthy. When he's on the mound, it's just captivating. But we want to proceed cautiously and do what's right by him. That's the biggest factor in this move. We want to make sure the inflammation is gone. The [symptoms] have come and gone. He's had good days and bad. It's not been linear."
This is now the third straight year in which deGrom won't pitch a full season. He was limited to 15 games in 2021 due to inflammation of the UCL. Then in 2022, he missed the first half of the campaign due to a stress reaction of the right scapula. Now, in six starts, he is on the shelf, with no exact timing as to when he could return.
In those six starts, deGrom recorded a 2.67 ERA, a 0.758 WHIP, 45 strikeouts, and four walks in 30.1 innings.
Again, the soonest deGrom can return is June 28. Whether that is a realistic target date remains to be seen.