CINCINNATI — After he pitched seven innings in the Mets’ victory over the Brewers last July 7 in Game 1 of a doubleheader, Jacob deGrom confirmed he wouldn’t be participating in the 2021 All-Star Game the following week.
During that Mets victory, deGrom had allowed three runs — including two homers — pushing his ERA to 1.08. It was the first time all season that number had surpassed one.
In skipping the All-Star Game last year, deGrom, who had battled through various ailments in May and June that caused him to miss starts, said his plan was to “get healthy for the second half.”
DeGrom couldn’t have known at the time he was perhaps referring to the second half of 2022: On the one-year anniversary of deGrom’s last regular season start for the Mets, the team is still awaiting the return of its ace.
“It is tough to fathom that it has been a whole year, because he was around for the last part of last year,” Brandon Nimmo said Wednesday. “We got to see him, but nobody else did.”
DeGrom, rehabbing most recently from a stress reaction on his right scapula, is scheduled to pitch a second time for Single-A St. Lucie on Friday. He returned from the All-Star break last year, and immediate concerns were raised when he wasn’t scheduled to start the first game of the second half. By the end of that weekend in Pittsburgh, he had been placed on the injured list with right forearm tightness.
It only kept getting worse for deGrom: On July 30, hours before the team acquired Javier Baez and Trevor Williams from the Cubs in a trade-deadline move, the Mets shut down deGrom from throwing because of further inflammation in the right forearm.
Zack Scott, the team’s acting general manager at the time, said that day: “I would expect him to pitch again this season.”
DeGrom didn’t resume throwing until late August, at which point the Mets had fallen from playoff contention. Team president Sandy Alderson revealed on Sept. 7 that deGrom had been diagnosed with a low-grade tear of his ulnar collateral ligament.
Two days later, deGrom issued a terse statement to reporters: “I know what was said and my ligament is perfectly fine. I have been throwing and I wouldn’t be if I had a compromised ligament. That’s the plan, to continue to throw and build up and see where we end up.”
Was it ever a realistic possibility for deGrom to return in 2021?
“We were definitely trending that way,” pitching coach Jeremy Hefner said. “There were some times I felt we were headed in a really good direction and stuff happens and you have to adjust with new information.”
DeGrom reported to spring training and said he felt good physically. But after two Grapefruit League appearances, the discomfort behind his right shoulder surfaced. Only days before the Mets broke camp, he was diagnosed with the stress reaction on his right scapula and didn’t resume throwing until May.
It’s hardly unusual for a pitcher to miss a year-plus — Tommy John surgery, with a rehab period of 14-16 months is common in the game — but deGrom is unique in a sense.
“Especially to have two different kinds of injuries, kind of back to back, ending the season and then starting the season,” Hefner said. “It’s kind of unprecedented in a lot of ways.”
In a best-case scenario, deGrom will return to pitch for the Mets on the first weekend following the All-Star break. Earlier this week, Max Scherzer returned from a left oblique strain that cost him almost seven weeks.
DeGrom’s one-year absence has maybe helped the rest of the NL East, but overall it has hurt the game, according to Hefner.
“It’s unfortunate for the Mets, certainly,” Hefner said. “It’s unfortunate for Jake, certainly, but it’s also unfortunate for the game. It’s no different with Max. He was out for [seven] weeks and that is bad for baseball. We need those guys to play.”
As for possibly trying to muzzle deGrom upon his return — he regularly touches triple digits with his fastball, which could be a root of his ailments — Hefner said it won’t happen.
“It’s tough,” Hefner said. “Do you put a governor on a Ferrari? Jake is a competitor and I feel like we have put a real comprehensive throwing program together and have been mindful of where his velocity has been this entire time … I don’t have any reservations.”
