The New York Mets endure their first injury of summer camp. Ace Jacob deGrom has picked up a back injury that ended his night early.
The New York Mets have been lucky to avoid injuries and illness so far during spring training 2.0, but not anymore. Mets fans received the worst possible news Tuesday night when Anthony DiComo of MLB.com announced Jacob deGrom had picked up a back injury. It was severe enough that the Mets pulled deGrom from their intrasquad game after just one inning.
Jacob deGrom left tonight's intrasquad game after one inning due to back tightness.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) July 15, 2020
Here was Jake's reaction after leaving the mound in today's sim game: pic.twitter.com/Lf0k3w880F
— SNY (@SNYtv) July 15, 2020
The Mets are calling the injury back tightness now, and it’s not clear how long out this will keep deGrom out. Opening Day is just 10 days away. If this is anything more than a minor injury, deGrom could miss game time.
It also seems very unlikely that deGrom will pitch this weekend against the Yankees in the Mets’ two exhibition warm-up games. That robs him of what likely would have been his final dress rehearsal before Opening Day against the Braves.
The Mets can’t afford to lose deGrom. They already lost Noah Syndergaard to Tommy John earlier in the year. It would seem to be an impossible task for the Mets to recover from losing both of their top starters.
If deGrom does have to miss time, the next man up could be rookie left-hander David Peterson. One of the Mets’ top prospects and a former first-round pick, Peterson has the best chance to be a long-term fit in the Mets’ rotation out of all the potential replacements.
There’s also the possibility that the Mets were being extra cautious with their ace and removed him at the first sign of trouble. The Mets haven’t given a real update on deGrom’s condition, so it’s anyone’s guess at the moment. It’s going to be a tough night for Mets fans.
