A follow-up MRI on Monday revealed that New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom revealed “continued healing” of his right shoulder, the team announced on Tuesday prior to the first game of their doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals.
“He will continue to build distance and velocity in his throwing program,” the statement continued. “And we will provide an update on his progress when appropriate.”
The 33-year-old, two-time Cy Young Award winner was put on the shelf just before the start of the regular season due to a stress reaction in his right scapula.
While the Mets recently transferred him to the 60-day injured list, he had begun a throwing program that featured 60-foot tosses from flat ground.
A lack of clarity of these results, though, doesn’t offer much on whether or not he can make it back to the mound before the All-Star break.
“We’re pleased with what we saw yesterday,” Mets GM Billy Eppler said. “Happy to get that news last evening… He’s going to move back further and throw harder. Those are good things.”
Eppler added that after this step, he can begin throwing off a mound. However, no timetable has been prescribed for that.
When deGrom is ready to get back on the bump for competitive action, he will need three to five minor-league rehab starts to ensure he’s ready to go to get back with the big club.
Despite his absence, New York has been able to stay afloat without their star, who was going to enter the 2022 season paired with three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer.
Tylor Megill performed admirably in his spot — including getting the ball on Opening Day — posting a 2.43 ERA in his first six starts of the season before an eight-run shellacking at the hands of the Washington Nationals.
He was subsequently placed on the 15-day IL retroactive May 12 due to biceps inflammation on Sunday.
