Mets' Ace Jacob deGrom Placed On IL With Right Forearm Tightness

The Mets have placed ace pitcher Jacob deGrom on the Injured List for the second time this season.

The Mets seem to just keep getting kicked while they are down.

On Sunday, ace pitcher Jacob deGrom was placed on the injured list with right forearm tightness, prior to New York's series finale with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

This move comes as no surprise, as manager Luis Rojas revealed that deGrom was dealing with this new ailment, and had stopped throwing.

"He played catch at home and he attempted to throw a side or two and he felt the tightness again and he just stopped throwing," Rojas said on Saturday. "It's a similar feel that he has in between starts sometimes with forearm tightness—it goes away, but this time it hasn't gone away. That's why, right now, he's just getting treatment."

According to Rojas, deGrom initially felt the tightness in a side session thrown at his home during the All-Star break. But when he felt it again during his side on Friday, that's when he knew he should say something.

While this injury is somewhat concerning, deGrom underwent an MRI that showed no structural damage. 

For now, the plan is for deGrom to start throwing again after the tightness has subsided. The only question is, when will that be?

This latest trip to the IL is deGrom's second stint this season. His first was back in May after experiencing right side tightness. He also dealt with right flexor tendinitis and right shoulder soreness, which forced early exits in back-to-back starts in June.

This is now the fourth different issue the Mets ace has had pop up this season already. While a "frustrated" deGrom says the previous three were from swinging the bat, he does not believe it caused the forearm injury.

"As a pitcher, you go out there and you don't feel great sometimes," said deGrom on Sunday. "But how this was feeling, it wasn't worth risking going out there. "Could I? Probably. Would it be smart? Probably not."

In the meantime, the Mets' thin pitching depth just got a whole lot thinner, and with deGrom out, this leaves Jerad Eickhoff as one of the few options to replace him in the rotation in the short-term. The Amazins are also in need of a starter on both Monday and Tuesday.

The pressure is starting to mount on the front office with the trade deadline 12 days away. Sandy Alderson and Zack Scott, the floor is yours. They must bring in pitching help before the Mets' season falls apart.