Jacob deGrom returned to the mound for the first time since April 28.
On Friday night, he pitched for the Texas Rangers against the Seattle Mariners. DeGrom threw 3 2/3 scoreless innings at T-Mobile Park, striking out four batters and tossing 61 pitches under a pitch limit.
Here’s a clip of deGrom’s first strikeout after coming off the injured list:
https://streamable.com/m/julio-rodriguez-strikes-out-swinging-46nact?partnerId=web_multimedia-search_video-share
DeGrom’s performance was classic. His fastball averaged 97.2 mph, peaking at 98.7 mph, while his slider hovered around 89.7 mph. Mariners hitters struggled with his pitches, missing on ten out of thirty-one swings—a whiff rate of 32.2%, well above the MLB average of 25.2%.
Before rejoining the major leagues, deGrom made four minor-league rehab starts where he dominated—striking out fifteen and allowing just one run over ten and two-thirds innings.
DeGrom’s Rehab Journey:
The Rangers are unlikely to make it to the postseason as they are trailing by 7.5 games for the third wild-card spot. It might be wise to rest deGrom rather than risk him in games that don’t matter much now that he’s achieved this significant rehab milestone.
“It feels like it’s been a long time,” deGrom said earlier this week via Associated Press, “but making the rehab or going from live batting practice to rehab starts… we were seeing light at the end of the tunnel.”
Fans might think it’s better if he takes it easy for now.
At age 36 and in his second year of a five-year $185 million contract, deGrom had impressive stats before his elbow injury last year—posting a 2.65 ERA with forty-five strikeouts in six starts over thirty and one-third innings.
Injuries have plagued him recently; from forearm issues to shoulder stress reactions, limiting him to twenty-six starts between 2021-22 with New York Mets before signing with Texas Rangers in December 2022.
The Rangers currently use a six-man rotation which means staying on schedule would allow deGrom two more starts: September 20 against Mariners at Globe Life Field and September 27 against Los Angeles Angels on their turf.
What do you think about this situation? Should he play more or rest up?
