Rangers Ace Jacob deGrom Throws Again

The Texas Rangers pitcher still hasn't thrown off a mound and there isn't a timetable yet.

Texas Rangers pitcher Jacob deGrom continued a program of light tossing on Monday on the first day for all players at the Spring Training facility in Surprise, Ariz.

This was the second straight day deGrom was throwing with the Rangers. He has not yet thrown from a mound.

“You know he's feeling good,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said Monday. “You take a little time off and you have to work back into it a little bit. So that's where he's at right now and he's a good place so he'll be out there."

The Rangers don’t have a timetable yet for when deGrom will throw off a mound.

The Rangers have planned to have all pitchers throw at least two live batting practices this week before throwing in a Spring Training game. Bochy said the Rangers want deGrom to pitch at least one additional live batting practice before getting into a game.

“I don't want to put a date on it, but we'd like to give him a few days and not rush this thing,” deGrom said.

deGrom reported to Surprise on Tuesday and reported that he was experiencing some left side tightness. He was held out out of the first workout for pitchers and catchers on Wednesday.

Since then, deGrom’s status has been a daily question. The Rangers have made it clear they’re simply exercising caution. deGrom said on Thursday that if this were the regular season he would be pitching.

The Rangers signed deGrom to a five-year, $185 million deal in the offseason, the largest contract they’ve ever awarded a pitcher. At 35, he’s one of six projected starters that is over the age of 30.

deGrom has also pitched truncated seasons each of the last three seasons, though the 2020 season was shortened due to COVID-19.

deGrom missed half of the 2021 season due to right elbow inflammation. He missed the first half of last season with a stress reaction in his right scapula.

Last year he went 5-4 with a 3.08 ERA in 11 starts with the Mets. In 2021 he went 7-2 with a 1.08 ERA, earned an All-Star Game berth and was ninth in Cy Young voting despite the injury.

Before that, deGrom was highly durable. He made 30 or more starts in four of his first six seasons in the Majors, with his 2018 and 2019 seasons both leading to National League Cy Young awards. In 2018 he led the Majors with a 1.70 ERA, followed by a a 2.43 ERA in 2019.

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