Jacob deGrom

The New York Mets won another game, their fifth straight, last night against the Arizona Diamondbacks, 6-2. And once again, ace Jacob deGrom pitched like a man among boys: he stayed on the mound for six innings and conceded just a couple of base hits and no walks, striking out eight in the winning effort.

For the season, the Mets’ ace has been otherworldly: in 51 innings, he has a microscopic 0.71 ERA and an absolutely incredible 0.57 WHIP. He has walked only 3.9 percent of the batters he has faced, and has struck out 45.8 percent.

The right-hander earned two consecutive Cy Young awards in 2018 and 2019, and there is an argument to be made that he deserved it last year, too. And if we are talking about merits, he should have been the MVP of the 2018 season.

Can he get the MVP award in 2021? The Mets certainly wouldn’t mind.

The Mets’ ace heard MVP chants in Arizona

Last night in Arizona, some “M-V-P” chants could be heard when he was on the mound. He would have to beat the young stars, such as Fernando Tatis Jr. and Ronald Acuña Jr., but he certainly has a chance if he keeps running a sub-1.00 ERA.

“He was tremendous,” Mets manager Luis Rojas told the press according to MLB.com. “You see this guy, it’s almost like he’s getting better and better every time he goes out there.”

The D-Backs hitters had to deal with deGrom throwing ten pitches harder than 101 mph.

“What we’re watching is definitely something special. In my mind, he’s in a league of his own,” Arizona starting pitcher Merrill Kelly said. “The fact that he has the stuff that he has and can command it the way that he does, I think, is probably what sets him apart the most. You know, there’s a lot of guys in this league that throw 90-100 [mph], but he pitches with it, and it’s relentless, and it’s every single pitch.”

Can he pull off the upset and win the MVP award?

After being removed from his May 9 start against the Arizona Diamondbacks before starting the sixth inning with tightness on his right side, New York Mets’ starter Jacob deGrom is set to return to the big league roster to take the ball on Tuesday against the Colorado Rockies.

The piece of news was provided by Mets’ manager Luis Rojas, per the team official site. In the end, deGrom ended up missing two turns in the rotation with the ailment, but over the weekend, he proved he is just fine by touching 102 mph in the radar gun and striking out eight of the 10 foes he faced in a rehab outing in Low-A.

Sunday was also a throwing day for the Mets’ two-time Cy Young Award winner, and he aced the test with a clean, successful bullpen session in Miami.

“Everything really looked good,” Rojas said. “We are still going to monitor the rest of today and tomorrow, but he is on track [to pitch on Tuesday].”

The Mets need deGrom

The Mets have benefited from having an in-form deGrom in the early going. The right-hander is 3-2 with a minuscule 0.68 ERA and a fantastic 2.2 WAR (Wins Above Replacement).

In other injury-related news, Mets’ outfielder Kevin Pillar had nasal surgery on Friday and was scheduled to begin light baseball activities on Monday.

“[The plan is to] see how he keeps progressing post surgery and see what he is able to do,” Rojas said.

Relief pitcher Dellin Betances (right shoulder) threw a bullpen session, while infielder Jose Peraza (right leg contusion) is expected to be available for the next game.

JD Davis, the Mets’ third baseman, didn’t play on Sunday with a stiff neck, but is expected to return to the Triple-A lineup for a couple more games this week before being activated from the injured list, where he is with a finger issue.

The New York Mets wanted Jacob deGrom to prove that he can return to pitching at a high level, stretching, and doing every little thing in his pre and post-start routine before activating him from the injured list.

As a reminder, the Mets’ ace has been dealing with soreness in his right side since last week. He had to leave his last start after just five innings.

But he aced his latest test, which came Thursday night in the minor leagues. The team had him starting for Low-A St. Lucie, in what was quite an experience for Mets’ minor leaguers.

Fortunately, deGrom, out since May 11 with the aforementioned right side tightness, had no issues striking out eight of the 10 Palm Beach batters he faced in his rehab outing.

The Mets’ hurler felt good afterwards and, as a result, he is now expected to return from the injured list for his next start, a source told MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi. The Mets haven’t confirmed where the start pitcher will next outing.

The Mets will have deGrom available early next week

If the Mets have him pitching with his regular rest, deGrom would return Tuesday to face the Colorado Rockies.

DeGrom reportedly touched 102 mph last night, indicating that he is at full strength and ready to pick up things right where he left them.

DeGrom, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, has been absolutely amazing so far in the 2021 season, with an unbelievable 0.68 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 40 innings.

The Mets can certainly use him in their rotation, as they currently have four stellar starters on the injured list: Noah Syndergaard, Carlos Carrasco, and Taijuan Walker are also out of action with injuries.

Carrasco and Syndergaard should be back within the next couple of weeks, and Walker could be ready sooner if he has no issues with his own left side soreness.

The New York Mets have been dealing with a lot of injuries in the last couple of weeks. Center fielder Brandon Nimmo had his rehab assignment cut short after experiencing renewed soreness in his ailing finger, JD Davis has been out with a hand issue, and Michael Conforto is also banged up. Carlos Carrasco is yet to return from a torn hamstring.

But perhaps the highest-profile name on the Mets’ injured list is Jacob deGrom. The star pitcher has been dealing with right side discomfort for a few days now and had to cut his last short after five innings, but things are starting to look up for him.

According to MLB.com’s Bill Ladson, Mets manager Luis Rojas doesn’t want to look too far ahead, but believes that deGrom could rejoin the team as a starting pitcher as early as Friday against the Marlins.

Since this is a recurring issue with deGrom, the Mets are probably taking every caution and won’t bring him back unless he is completely pain-free and can stretch and pitch with no issues.

The Mets are still evaluating their options

As of now, the Mets haven’t ruled out sending the two-time Cy Young award winner on a rehab assignment for one or two turns, but Rojas said “he wants to make sure his ace is healthy before making the announcement official,” per Ladson.

The injured deGrom has remained active, and played light catch before Sunday’s game against the Rays at Tropicana Field. He will throw off a slope Monday and have a bullpen session Tuesday, important steps he needs to overcome with no problems.

“I want to get the feedback from him just to see how he feels,” Rojas said. “He has been doing his exercises. It has been a positive feedback each day. Tomorrow, he is going to touch and feel. It should be a step forward with the feedback that we want to hear from what was happening before he went on the IL.”

After leaving his last start with soreness in his right side, Jacob deGrom was scheduled for another MRI to dismiss the possibility of any serious damage. While doctors did not find anything of note in the test, the New York Mets decided to play things safe and will place their ace on the 10-day injured list.

The Mets are calling the injury as “right side discomfort”, and while they were initially hopeful he could avoid the injured list, they are prioritizing long-term health and giving their best starter a break, per Anthony DiComo of the team official site.

The stint on the IL could last only one start, but the Mets won’t know more until days go by and they see how the pitcher is feeling.

The Mets’ starter is eligible to return from the injured list on May 21.

The Mets will miss deGrom this week

He was able to pitch competitively on Sunday for five innings before leaving prior to starting the sixth frame against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

“We want everyone to be with the team for the entire season to help us compete and win,” manager Luis Rojas said on Sunday. “And that’s what we’re doing with Jake. … We’ll listen to the experts first, and then we’ll come up with a plan.”

So far this season, deGrom has been money for the Mets, with a microscopic 0.68 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 40 innings.

“We don’t try to force anything here, knowing that there’s something going on,” Rojas said. “We always try to make sure that our guys are everything-free — tightness-free, soreness-free, everything.”

While deGrom has suffered numerous nagging injuries over the last four seasons, he has never missed more than a start or two. The right side issue is a recurrent one, so the Mets decided to avoid the risk of further aggravation and will shut him down for at least a week or so.

The New York Mets have a new injury to worry about. Not only Carlos Carrasco’s return has been pushed back to June at the earlies, but now, their ace Jacob deGrom re-aggravated an issue that had is weekend start in jeopardy.

In fact, deGrom was slated to pitch earlier in the week, but he missed his last start before an MRI revealed lat inflammation. Before the sixth inning of Sunday’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, deGrom reported right side tightness while warming up, and had to be removed.

He checked out of the game with Mets manager Luis Rojas and head athletic trainer Brian Chicklo. The injury clearly didn’t affect deGrom during the time he was able to stay on the mound yesterday, as he conceded only one run, a single hit and three walks over five innings, with six strikeouts.

The Mets are crossing their fingers

While there is no telling on how deGrom’s injury will evolve, the Mets do have faith that the two-time Cy Young award winner in the National League won’t require a trip to the 10-day injured list, according to Jon Morosi of MLB.com.

Morosi is hearing that the initial prognosis is “good” after the Mets’ star pitcher was sent for an MRI.

There is a great chance that his next start is pushed at least a couple of days, though, but the Mets don’t think they are dealing with a long-term problem.

DeGrom’s teammates don’t want to see him take any chances. “We’re hoping for the best,” said outfielder Michael Conforto, to MLB.com. “Jake’s very careful. He’s not going to pitch on anything that doesn’t feel right. He’s a really tough guy as well. He’s strong. He’s built well. We don’t know anything at this point, so it doesn’t make any sense to speculate what’s going on. But obviously, we don’t like to see him leave the game early.”