Jacob deGrom is expected to make his third rehab start Thursday for Triple-A Syracuse, Pat Ragazzo of Sports Illustrated reported.
He’s expected to throw a side session on Tuesday and then make the start two days later if everything goes well.
Things certainly went well in deGrom’s first two starts for Low-A St. Lucie. In his first, he struck out five of the six batters he faced and reached. 101 mph. He went a little longer in his second, throwing three scoreless innings while striking out six and giving up three hits. He threw 36 pitches, 29 of which were strikes. He hit 101 again with his fastball and 94 with his slider.
Facing Triple-A batters should be closer to what major league competition will look like. As of now, he’s expected to make four total rehab starts, so this could be his penultimate one before he rejoins the Mets. It’s very possible he makes it back to the team this month.
DeGrom hasn’t pitched for the Mets in over a year. The team recently got Max Scherzer back after an injury stint, and with deGrom on the horizon, the rotation could be undergoing some serious reinforcements.
DeGrom will likely get to pitch to Mets top prospect Francisco Alvarez in Syracuse, where Alvarez was recently promoted. The 20-year-old catching phenom also has a chance of making it to the majors this year.
