NEW YORK -- New York Mets right-hander Jacob deGrom downplayed the right lat issue that forced him from his season debut, but acknowledged he will have a better handle on the severity of the injury on Saturday.
DeGrom felt lat tightness while delivering a few fastballs to opposing pitcher Jerad Eickhoff to open the sixth inning Friday. Eickhoff ended up doubling and scoring. DeGrom mentioned the issue to pitching coach Dan Warthen when he returned to the dugout after the half-inning and was pulled at that point from the Mets’ eventual 7-2 victory against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citi Field.
“I think we’ll see how it feels tomorrow,” said deGrom, who allowed one run on five hits in a 76-pitch effort. “I was going to go out there for the seventh, and then I thought twice about it and said, ‘Hey, maybe I should say something. It’s early on. It’s a little cold out today. Let’s not push it.’”
DeGrom had suffered back tightness during spring training that forced him to miss a Grapefruit League start, but noted this issue is in a different spot. He indicated he has no immediate plans to seek an MRI. He plans to try to toss a baseball before Saturday’s game to gauge if the tightness has dissipated.
The Mets lost Steven Matz for two months last season with a lat strain, which similarly was described as tightness at first. After feeling the initial symptoms near his left armpit, Matz was allowed to proceed with an outing against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He tossed six scoreless innings at Dodger Stadium, but then was diagnosed with the strain and landed on the disabled list.
Manager Terry Collins indicated that if deGrom is unable to throw his between-starts bullpen session, or if he experiences stiffness at that point, “we’ve got to find somebody to go in his spot.”
The Mets have Logan Verrett waiting in the bullpen for such an instance.
The major storyline entering deGrom’s season debut was whether he would actually be available to take the mound. He has been awaiting a call from his wife, Stacey, with news that she had gone into labor with the couple’s first child. DeGrom planned to skip the start and fly to Florida if he received pregame word that the baby was coming.
DeGrom’s wife visited a doctor, and by the time deGrom spoke with his wife in the late morning, he was confident the birth was not imminent.
“I think that gave me a little peace of mind going into today,” deGrom said.
Still, he added: "Once I get out there, I think the competitiveness takes over. I wasn’t really thinking about that too much.”
DeGrom plans to remain with the Mets until he gets the labor call from his wife. He will not immediately head to Florida. He next is due to pitch Wednesday’s homestand finale against the Miami Marlins, if healthy.
During spring training, deGrom’s fastball sat at 91-93 mph. Yet he still allowed only three runs in 16 2/3 Grapefruit League innings, while striking out 15 and walking two.
The pattern of success despite an atypically low fastball velocity continued in his first 2016 regular-season start. DeGrom’s fastball averaged 92.8 mph against the Phillies. He averaged 95.0 mph last season.
Collins and deGrom suggested last year’s heavy workload may be dragging the 2015 All-Star's velocity numbers down early this season. DeGrom insisted there is no injury-related reason.
“That’s been a question I’ve been getting asked all spring,” deGrom said. “It was cold out today. I think it’ll be back sometime soon. ... I took a little more time off in the offseason. We played late last year. I feel good. Or I felt good until that [lat issue Friday]. I’m not worried about the velocity.”
