Jacob deGrom left Tuesday’s intrasquad game after just one inning with back tightness, the team announced. DeGrom is slated to start the opener on July 24 against Atlanta at Citi Field and had looked sharp both in March in Port St. Lucie and in spring training 2.0 in Queens. He was expected to build up …
Jacob deGrom left Tuesday’s intrasquad game after just one inning with back tightness, the team announced.
DeGrom is slated to start the opener on July 24 against Atlanta at Citi Field and had looked sharp both in March in Port St. Lucie and in spring training 2.0 in Queens.
He was expected to build up his pitch count Tuesday and then start Saturday’s exhibition game against the Yankees before the season opener.
Now those plans are in doubt, as the 32-year-old’s health is in question.
The Mets are already entering the season without Noah Syndergaard, who underwent Tommy John surgery this spring.
DeGrom didn’t show any obvious signs of discomfort during his lone inning Tuesday.
The right-hander is trying to become just the third pitcher to win as many as three consecutive Cy Young awards, but more importantly, the Mets are expected to contend in the NL East and can’t afford to be without their ace for any length of time especially in a 60-game regular season.
Last week, the right-hander acknowledged winning a Cy Young in an abbreviated season wouldn’t be the same as the previous two.
“I would say there definitely has to be some difference there, 12 starts versus 32 or 33,” deGrom said last Monday. “There is a lot that can happen in any given start, and you normally play 162 games and 200 innings. I don’t think [winning the award] would feel the same, but it’s definitely still a goal.”
Now, making even a dozen starts is in jeopardy for deGrom.
