JUPITER, FL – Even before the Mets revealed details about the stress reaction in Jacob DegromThe right shoulder, which would cost him the opening day start and most likely the first two months of the season, a dreary mood pervaded the club at Port St Lucy. There was a ledge of the room. Everyone wanted to know what was wrong with DeGrom.
When DeGrom’s MRI results became public hours later, Mets officials took turns between expressing disappointment with the situation and confidence in their ability to move forward successfully enough without it.
“Everyone has an ordeal,” said General Manager Billy Ebler. “Everyone does. Every team all the time. So you deal with this stuff. Would we have loved Jake to have been there on opening day? Absolutely yes. But we understand that’s what teams go through. So that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to manage it and move on.” .
Degrom underwent an MRI Friday morning, the day after he alerted Mets coaches to a tightness in the back of his right shoulder. This test showed a stress reaction in the shoulder, causing inflammation in the area. Degrom will refrain from throwing for up to four weeks, after which point the club will reassess his progress.
While the Mets indicated in a statement that DeGrom could theoretically start throwing before the four-week period is up, Eppler made it clear that he will definitely be sitting out for an entire month. If all goes well and the follow-up MRI comes back clean, DeGrom will likely need another month to ramp up at this point. Thus, the beginning of June is the realistic best-case scenario for his return.
“It’s frustrating,” Ebler said. “We are disappointed. Everyone shares the disappointment now. Nobody is immune to that.”
short term, Max Scherzer He is the obvious candidate to fill in for DeGrom on opening day, although neither Eppler nor Director Buck Showalter has committed to the job. A source confirmed that Scherzer has been dealing with a hamstring problem, but is mild enough that he is still set to throw seven innings in an in-group match on Saturday. As long as he gets out of that outing without a problem and is willing to give up the extra day off he would have had before his season debut, Scherzer should be fine on opening day. If the Mets choose to go in another direction, they can manipulate their spin to get any of their healthy starters.
As for DeGrom’s turnover position, Tylor Megill, David Peterson and Trevor Williams are the primary candidates to replace him. Among that group, Miguel has been the most impressive this spring, catching Showalter’s attention with his size, stuff, and spring results: 6 2/3 rounds stop so far.
The Mets, according to Eppler, have no intention of acquiring another freshman from outside the organization.
“[deGrom] He’s really good at what he does, and we won’t have that for a while, but now there’s an opportunity that presents itself for someone to move forward,” Showalter said.
No matter who replaces the Mets with a degroom, they understand it They can’t really replace it The two-time Cy Young winner who produced 1.94 ERA in 91 starts since the start of the 2018 season was simply the problem for him being staying healthy. Injuries are nothing new for Degrom, who missed the entire second half of last season due to inflammation in his right elbow and forearm, and who has struggled with back, elbow and shoulder concerns for the past two years. He’s only been down 27 times during those seasons.
According to Showalter, DeGrum felt good during a routine catching game on Thursday to his last two throws. He also looked solid during his first two games in the Grapefruit League, allowing for one run in five rounds with 10 strokes. DeGrom also made some compromises in the name of staying healthy, lifting slightly heavier weights this winter and regaining his speed a few marks in the spring. But a revamped exercise program couldn’t keep DeGrom in the field.
According to Dr. James Gladstone, chief of sports medicine at Mt. Sinai Health System Nothing is more important than relief from stress reactions.
“It’s a fairly overworked injury,” Gladstone said, describing her injury as bruising along the bone where the muscle attaches to it. “I often think, especially in shooters, that it might be mechanics. Something happened, and it causes a person to shoot a little differently than they did in the past.”
Gladstone estimated that full recovery could take up to six weeks. The Mets hope DeGrom can recover sooner, but they won’t rush things.
“We will do everything we can to support him in every possible way,” Ebler said. “Jake is a resilient person. Over time, things heal. And so this is another case where in some time, we will work on his recovery and we will bring him back up the hill.”
In the meantime, the Mets will adjust — a process that began with their letters after DeGrom’s latest diagnosis.
“The sky doesn’t fall,” warned Showalter as a group of reporters left his office. “It’s only raining.”
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