Jacob deGrom is “definitely frustrated” about landing on the injured list with right forearm tightness after an early exit against the Yankees.
“I want to be out there,” the Texas Rangers pitcher said on Sunday after he was placed on the 15-day IL on Saturday. “There’s a little inflammation in there, so the goal is to get that knocked out here in the next few days and resume throwing. So, staying optimistic about it.”
DeGrom, 34, is eligible to return on May 14 and he plans to “make sure everything is good and that way when we go back out there, we don’t have this again,” he said.
On Friday, deGrom was pulled after 50 pitches against the Yankees, marking the second time in his last three starts that he left early with an injury.
Although his early departures were attributed to right wrist soreness and forearm tightness, deGrom was put on the injured list with elbow inflammation.
“There’s no need to push him,” Rangers general manager Chris Young said. “He came in today and felt OK, which is a positive, but given how important he is to us and our season, we’re going to play this very cautiously and see how he responds over the next several days to treatment.”
DeGrom also left a game in Kansas City after four hitless innings on April 17 because of wrist soreness.
And that came after his start to spring training was delayed by left side tightness.
The injury run-ins have become all to familiar to deGrom’s career, as the former Met was plagued with ailments in the final two years of his nine in New York, pitching just 156⅓ innings over 26 starts.
“Obviously, the goal was to not go on the IL. The goal was to make 30-plus starts and put this team in position to win,” deGrom said. “It’s disappointing to not be able to do that right now, but stay optimistic about it. Everything structurally looks fine, so get a little bit of that swelling out of there and pick up from there.”
DeGrom left the Mets in December on a five-year $185 million contract with Texas and has so far gone 2-0 and 2.67 ERA in his first six starts for Texas, which is 16-11 and leading the NL West.
The Rangers have won all six games deGrom started.