New York Mets Push Jacob deGrom's Sim Game Back due to Shoulder Soreness

New York Mets push Jacob deGrom's sim game back due to shoulder soreness.

Jacob deGrom will not return to pitch for the Mets on Sunday, which was first looked at as a potential best case scenario.

DeGrom was initially scheduled to pitch a simulated game in Port St. Lucie on Tuesday, which would’ve counted for his fourth and possibly final rehab start before returning to the Mets rotation. However, the righty experienced “mild muscle soreness” around his shoulder on Sunday, which resulted in the Mets’ decision to push his sim game back two days to Thursday.

The good news is that deGrom is still penciled in to toss his sim game on Thursday. The Mets say he played catch on Monday and Tuesday without issue and they pushed his sim game back out of an “abundance of caution.”

Depending on how he responds physically in the days that follow his sim game, deGrom could still come off the IL to start for the Mets on July 26 or 27 against the Yankees in the Subway series. In the same breath, the latest deGrom update creates a bit of uneasiness, given he has not pitched in the majors in over a year due to shoulder and elbow injuries.

It was first discovered on April 1 that deGrom was going to miss significant time with a stress reaction on his right scapula. The Mets have taken things extremely slow with their prized arm, who has an opt-out clause in his contract after the season.

After making three rehab starts, two with Single A St. Lucie, one with Triple A Syracuse, which came last Thursday on July 14, the Mets are hoping deGrom can return after his next sim game, or potentially one more rehab outing. The bigger hope is that he can stay healthy the rest of the season and into the postseason. But the latest update provides a bit more of a sobering reality that deGrom’s health has become a substantial question mark over the course of the past year. 

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