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Mets ace and two-time NL Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom hasn’t pitched in a game for two months now. The Mets, in somewhat typical fashion, have provided vague updates on his health throughout the process, repeatedly citing clean MRIs while simultaneously pushing back throwing sessions and shutting him down for additional spells to provide further relief from the inflammation in his elbow.
However, team president Sandy Alderson revealed to reporters last night that there was indeed something more concerning at play, though he insists the issue has now “resolved itself” (link via Newsday’s Tim Healey). DeGrom, according to Alderson, had the “lowest-grade partial tear” possible in his right ulnar collateral ligament.
That’s a much different outlook than was provided by manager Luis Rojas and acting GM Zack Scott, both of whom said at different points in the recovery process that there was no structural damage in deGrom’s elbow. Scott said back on July 30 there was no damage in the ligament, per Healey, and Rojas made the same assertion on Aug. 13. Clearly, surgery was not deemed necessary in the end, and Alderson insists that the ligament is now “perfectly intact” after two months away from game action. Nevertheless, it’s a rather perplexing contradiction from prior messaging on deGrom’s prognosis.
Any mention of even slight UCL damage for a pitcher is concerning — particularly when it’s regarding someone who has already undergone Tommy John surgery once in his career (prior to his MLB debut, in deGrom’s case). Alderson’s insistence that this is essentially a non-issue at this point could be taken as a sigh of relief for Mets fans, but those comments will be ripe for scrutiny if this does ultimately prove to be a more serious situation down the road.
At last check, the Mets had suggested that a best-case scenario for deGrom would be to appear in a few games late in the season — likely only in “abbreviated” fashion. The latest comments from Alderson don’t do anything to change that trajectory, but the transparency into deGrom’s diagnosis lends some critical context and clarity with regard to the team’s cautious approach in handling him.
DeGrom, 33, has pitched 92 innings this season and logged a superhuman 1.08 ERA with similarly absurd strikeout and walk percentages: 45.1 percent and 3.4 percent, respectively. He’s still owed $64MM from 2022-23 combined (albeit with $27MM of that sum deferred 15 years), and his five-year, $137.5MM contract also contains a $32.5MM club option for the 2024 season. He can opt out of the remaining guaranteed year following the 2022 season.
The Mets trail the Braves by four games in the National League East and are three and a half games behind the Padres and Reds in the Wild Card standings.Comment -
Padres loss and Reds won....Wild Card is just up in the airComment -
Tony Gwynn came the closest at .394 but he did it in the strike shortened season of 1994 so there's no way of telling whether he'd hit .400 or fall off. Knowing Gwynn he probably would have had a realistic shot at breaking the .400 barrier if the season played out the entire way.Comment -
Sal Perez with another bomb.
Three more to go for the record.Comment -
It’s like nobody wants to win the wildcard.Comment -
The Dodgers are planning to reinstate right-hander Tony Gonsolin from the 10-day injured list to start tomorrow afternoon’s game against the Cardinals, manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including Juan Toribio of MLB.com). The 27-year-old hasn’t pitched in a big league game since July 30 because of inflammation in his throwing shoulder.
It has been an injury-plagued year for Gonsolin, who also missed the first couple months of the season with shoulder inflammation. Seeing the promising hurler sidelined by successive shoulder problems was a bit alarming, but it’s a welcome sign that he’s healthy enough to contribute to the Dodgers’ efforts down the stretch.
Gonsolin hasn’t yet carved out a permanent spot in what has generally been a loaded Dodgers rotation in recent seasons. That depth has been thinned out this year, although the forthcoming returns of Gonsolin and Clayton Kershaw (who could make it back himself within the next few days) should go a long way to fortifying that group. When healthy, Gonsolin has been highly effective throughout his career. He owns a 2.65 ERA over 122 1/3 big league innings with an above-average 25.2% strikeout rate. He’s had some uncharacteristic issues with walks this season, although it’s possible his persistent shoulder woes played some role in that.
The Dodgers have reached the point in the season where every game feels pivotal. After dropping tonight’s contest in St. Louis, they fell two games back of the Giants in the NL West with 22 contests remaining on the schedule. There’s no question the Dodgers will make the playoffs, but they’ll need a strong finish to avoid the Wild Card game. After wrapping up their series with the Cardinals tomorrow, Los Angeles has sets against the Padres (twice), Diamondbacks (twice), Reds, Rockies and Brewers to close out the year.Comment -
Staumont really disappointed last night.
I'm really big on the kid, he's had a pretty good season, but that's twice now he shit the bed in the eighth inning.
Big time set up men don't shit the bed like that last night, especially against the O's.
I can't consider him big time until he stops doing that .
Twice is unacceptable.Comment -
The Jays are making a run at the wild card!!!!!Comment -
Twins pitcher Joe Ryan looks like a MusketeerComment -
Jays with the 4 game sweep of the Yankees, half a game back in the wild card now.
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Subway series, oh wonderful.Comment -
“Everyone destroyed that deal,” a rival executive tells The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal about the general opinion of the Royals’ four-year, $82MM contract extension with Salvador Perez last March. Though that extension doesn’t kick in until next season, it is now looking like a shrewd move in the wake of Perez’s huge 2021 numbers. Perez entered today’s action with 42 homers, a .276/.316/.548 slash line, and a league-best 104 RBIs over 569 plate appearances. While Perez had shown some big power in the past and delivered a .986 OPS during 156 PA in the abbreviated 2020 season, nobody saw this type of slugging breakout coming in the veteran catcher’s age-31 campaign.
What looked like an overpay in March now looks pretty close to what the market value would’ve been for Perez as a free agent this winter, as 2021 was the final year of Perez’s previous deal (a five-year, $52.5MM pact) with Kansas City. Given Perez’s importance to the Royals organization, the team might have been willing to engage in some form of a bidding war to retain Perez in free agency, though that is a scenario the Royals are undoubtedly pleased to have avoided.
More from around the division…
- White Sox slugger Eloy Jimenez has missed his team’s last two games due to a bone bruise on his right knee. The injury is “significant,” manager Tony La Russa told ESPN’s Jesse Rogers and other reporters, though there is some hope Jimenez can return to the lineup in relatively short order. While sitting in the dugout on Tuesday, Jimenez suffered the injury after being hit by a line drive of an Andrew Vaughn foul ball, and eventually had to leave the game. The increasingly banged-up White Sox are missing a few key players on the injured list already, though Chicago has plenty of cushion atop the all-but-decided AL Central.
- The Twins placed right-hander Randy Dobnak on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to September 8) due to a strain in his right middle finger. Left-hander Andrew Albers was called up from Triple-A to take over Dobnak’s scheduled start in today’s game against the Indians. Dobnak already missed over two months of the season with another strain involving the same finger, and given both the late date on the calendar and the apparent recurring nature of the injury, it is possible that Dobnak might not pitch again in 2021. It’s been a tough season for the righty, who pitched so well in his 2020 rookie season that Minnesota inked Dobnak to a five-year extension worth at least $9.25MM in guaranteed money. Working as both a starter and a reliever this year, Dobnak struggled in both roles, en route to a 7.64 ERA over 50 2/3 innings, with 11 home runs allowed.
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Amazing how things have changed in New York as they went from being one of the hottest teams in baseball to becoming ice cold at the hands of the Jays. That wild card race in the AL is far from over and imo I think it's more wide open then the one in the NL but we'll see.Comment -
Jays are -310 or something stupid today....Comment -
Yep he might have and Matt Williams might have broken Roger Maris's record that year too. He had 43 homers at the time the strike went down so I think he could have gotten there although it was probably more likely that Gwynn hit .400 than Williams broke 61 dingers that year.Comment -
Because pitching is way better and defenses know how to shift. Gotta swing for the fences. Ball go far, team go far.Comment -
Rays shortstop Wander Franco left this evening’s game against the Tigers in the first inning due to right hamstring tightness. After the game, manager Kevin Cash told reporters (including Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times) the expectation is that Franco will require a stint on the injured list.
Presumably, Franco will go for further testing to determine the extent of the injury and a projected timetable for his return. With an eight and a half game cushion in the AL East, the Rays shouldn’t have much issue weathering the loss of the star rookie for the next few weeks. But it’d obviously be disastrous news for Tampa Bay if the injury were to threaten his readiness for the start of postseason play a little less than a month from now.
The game’s consensus top prospect entering the season, Franco has demonstrated exactly why he’s so highly-regarded over his first couple months in the majors. Tampa Bay selected the switch-hitter to make his big league debut in late June. Franco started off slowly over his first couple weeks, but the 20-year-old’s recent run of play has been historic. He’s reached base safely in each of his past 39 games (including tonight’s contest, in which he singled in his only plate appearance). In MLB history, only Hall of Famer Frank Robinson has posted a longer on-base streak (43 games in 1956) at such a young age.
Altogether, Franco owns a .285/.347/.463 line (126 wRC+) over his first 271 big league plate appearances. He’s walking and hitting for power at essentially league average rates, but Franco has demonstrated excellent bat-to-ball skills. His 12.9% strikeout rate is almost ten percentage points lower than the league average, an impressive achievement for any player — let alone one as young as Franco.
The Rays do have ample infield depth to cover shortstop while Franco’s on the shelf. Fellow top prospects Vidal Bruján and Taylor Walls have logged some big league time this year and could be recalled from Triple-A Durham. Joey Wendle could also slide over from his typical third base position on occasion, with Yandy Díaz capable of manning the hot corner and Ji-Man Choi playing first base in such a scenario.Comment -
Go Blue Jays. Get that wild card!
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Giants giving the Cubbies a poundingComment -
Nasher, bunting isn’t that easy with the movement and gas these pitchers throw.Comment
