Texas Rangers general manager Chris Young announced on Tuesday that star pitcher and former Mets ace Jacob deGrom, is to undergo a surgical procedure to repair a torn UCL and end his 2023 season.
The 34-year-old has had his first season with the AL Central club derailed by injuries after signing a five-year, $185 million after spending nine seasons with the Mets. He hadn’t pitched since April 28 when he was pulled from a start due to injury concerns for a second time in three outings.
After landing on the IL, limited progress across five bullpen sessions provided further concern for the Rangers.
It’s an unfortunate continuation of injury issues for deGrom, who won two consecutive NL Cy Young Awards with the Mets in 2018 and 2019 on his way to developing into the most dominant pitcher in baseball when healthy. Despite a 21-17 record across those two seasons, he posted a 2.05 ERA with 524 strikeouts in 421 innings with a 0.941 WHIP.
In 2021, he posted a 1.08 ERA across 15 starts but was sidelined for the final three months of the campaign because of forearm tightness and a sprained elbow. Last year, a stress reaction in his right scapula held him out until August.
Over his first six starts with the Rangers, he was 2-0 with a 2.67 ERA across 30.1 innings, which brings his grand total over the last four seasons to just 254.2 innings. That’s an average of roughly 63 innings per season.
DeGrom also had Tommy John surgery in 2010, the year he was drafted in the ninth round by the Mets and four years before making his MLB debut.
For more on Jacob deGrom, visit AMNY.com
