Photo by Ed Delany of MMO
Mets ace Jacob deGrom will throw a simulated game in Port St. Lucie Tuesday, Tim Healey of Newsday reported.
It’s another positive step in the right direction towards deGrom returning to the Mets. He made three rehab starts after going nearly a year without pitching in a competitive game. His first two were for Low-A St. Lucie, while his third was for Triple-A Syracuse. He slowly ramped things up as he went along, throwing 1 2/3 innings in his first outing, three innings in his second and four in his third.
DeGrom was dominant against minor league competition, holding the opposition to zero earned runs over the 8 2/3 innings he pitched. He allowed five hits, one walk and one unearned run, giving him a WHIP of 0.69. He struck out 15 and reached triple digits with his fastball a number of times.
Deesha Thosar of NY Daily News noted that the simulated game will be considered deGrom’s fourth rehab start. He was originally expected to make about four rehab starts. That lines up deGrom to potentially pitch for the Mets as early as next Sunday.
If all goes well, the Mets could be reinstating another ace to a rotation that just got Max Scherzer back. Scherzer has been fantastic since returning, and deGrom should form one of the most formidable duos in baseball with him once he’s back in Queens.
