The New York Mets ace Jacob DeGrom began his first minor league rehab for Class A St. Lucy on Sunday, facing five of six batsmen for the strike and throwing 18 of 24 pitches.
DeGrom’s only hiccup came when he hit the batsman off the pitch against Jupiter Hammerheads in Port St. Lucy, Florida.
The two-time Sai Young Award winner had a swollen reaction to stress in his right shoulder bone throughout the season.
DeGrom’s most recent major league outing was on July 7, 2021. He missed the second half of last season due to stiffness in his right hand and a sprained elbow, then returned to spring training this year and made his Grapefruit League debut on March 22 and 27.
But then a stressful reaction pushed him aside and he didn’t drop another bullpen until June 4th. The 34-year-old right-handed batsman was facing a hitter on the team’s premises in Florida before the start of Sunday.
The Mets expect DeGrom to undergo several minor league rehab before he can rejoin their rotation.
Fellow Ace Max Schaefer (5-1, 2.54 ERA) will return from a left skew muscle in Cincinnati on Tuesday night. Three-time Sy Young Award winner Scherzer suffered an injury against St. Louis on May 18 and recently started two rehab for Double-A Binghamton.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.