Texas Rangers Set Next Jacob deGrom Bullpen

Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said that he expects injured ace Jacob deGrom to throw a bullpen session on the upcoming road trip.

ARLINGTON, Texas — Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said before Saturday’s game against the Colorado Rockies that pitcher Jacob deGrom would likely throw his next bullpen on Monday when the Rangers start a three-game series at the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Less than a day after deGrom said he “turned a corner” in his recovery from right elbow inflammation, Bochy got a bit closer to putting a timeline on deGrom’s return.

“If all goes good there (Monday), you’ll see us ramp it up,” Bochy said. “I’m going to say that he could possible throw to hitters at the end of that week.”

At the end of the week, the Rangers are at the Baltimore Orioles for a three-game series that starts Friday. It’s part of a nine-game, 10-day road trip that wraps up the month of May.

deGrom threw a bullpen on Friday and tossed about 25 pitches. Before that, deGrom threw what the Rangers terms a “light bullpen” on Tuesday. Monday’s bullpen may feature deGrom doing an “up /down,” which would simulate a break between innings to gauge deGrom’s ability to recover.

“He feels pretty good about how things are going so that’s good news,” Bochy said.

The Rangers aren’t looking to push deGrom, in part because of the depth on their pitching staff at the moment. Dane Dunning has stepped into deGrom’s spot in the rotation and provided three solid starts and has won his last two starts.

deGrom went on the 15-day injured list on April 29 after leaving his last start against the New York Yankees. The MRI taken the next day revealed right elbow inflammation. He is eligible to be activated when ready.

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