It was triple digits at Port St. Lucie, and we’re not talking about the temperature.
Jacob deGrom returned to the mound Sunday and pitched in a professional game for the first time in 361 days. In his first rehab assignment, a nightcap for the Single-A St. Lucie Mets, deGrom struck out five of the six batters he faced. The only batter that reached was hit by a pitch. The ace was done after 1.2 innings and 24 pitches.
DeGrom’s first pitch of the evening was a 100-mph fastball that went for a strike. That at-bat ended like most do when deGrom is looming 60 feet and six inches away from the batter’s box. He struck out his first two batters, and hit his third by a slider on the foot, before fanning his final hitter to strike out the side in the first inning.
The two-time Cy Young award winner was on a 25-pitch limit in his first rehab start of many before he returns to the Mets. He struck out his first two batters in the second inning before St. Lucie Mets manager Robbie Robinson popped out of the dugout to take him out. Robinson was booed by the Clover Park crowd, but deGrom only smiled at that reaction from fans. His first major hurdle was complete. But this is just the beginning.
DeGrom’s fastball topped out at 101 mph on the radar gun.
Mets manager Buck Showalter planned to watch deGrom’s outing on the way to the airport, and maybe even on the plane, as the team flew out to Cincinnati on Sunday evening following their 4-1 win over the Rangers. Showalter said the most important element he will take away from deGrom’s first start is his health.
“It’s a big step for Jake,” Showalter said.
DeGrom has been sidelined since spring training with a stress reaction on his right scapula. The Mets ace also missed the second half of last year with an elbow injury and has not pitched in a big-league game since July 7, 2021. He is expected to need around a month of rehab starts before he is stretched out enough to jump back into the Mets rotation alongside Max Scherzer, Taijuan Walker, Chris Bassitt, and Carlos Carrasco.
As of Sunday afternoon, it was unclear when deGrom’s next start will take place and whether he will try to stick to a normal five-day schedule. The Mets will likely give deGrom an extra day or two of rest in between rehab starts to make sure the right-hander does not have a setback. Up to this point, Showalter said deGrom has met every benchmark. The ace and his team will hope that good luck continues throughout the remainder of his rehab.
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Source: Berkshire mont
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