On Sunday afternoon, Jacob deGrom made his first appearance in a regular-season game since July 7 of last year. In his first rehab start with St. Lucie, he looked as good as ever, averaging nearly 100 MPH on his fastball and striking out five of the six batters he faced.

AAA: Syracuse Mets (32-45) 5, Lehigh Valley IronPigs (42-36) 4  Box Score

The Mets were just 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position during Sunday’s game, but a four-run inning that featured a bases-clearing double by Fargas provided them with all the offense they needed. Lee left the game after being hit by a pitch in the seventh inning; no update was given on whether he was removed for precautionary reasons or whether a more significant injury resulted from the pitch. Vientos has four extra base hits over his last five games.

With a 6.14 K/9 and a 1.64 WHIP over six starts since his promotion to Triple-A, Fisher has not been particularly dominant, but he has been excellent at preventing runs from scoring. He has allowed one earned run or less in four of his six starts with Syracuse. Otanez has settled in a bit since his rocky start in Triple-A and has not given up a run in his last three appearances. After a strong June, Orze’s ERA jumped back above five when he allowed a three-run home run in the ninth inning. He has given up as many home runs as walks (9) so far this season.

AA: Binghamton Rumble Ponies (31-44) 7, Hartford Yard Goats (46-29) 1  Box Score

The Rumble Ponies pushed across two runs in the third inning, but it was Mauricio’s three-run homer in the fourth that really put the game out of reach. That was Mauricio’s 15th home run of the season, which ranks sixth in the Eastern League and ties him for third among all minor league shortstops. Baty has been on fire since the start of June, but his power has really started to come through over the last week: he has six extra-base hits in his last six games. Vasquez had three hits in back-to-back games.

Lasko had a 9.92 ERA at the end of April, but he has been much better since returning from the injured list in early June: he has given up one run or less in five of his six starts since that point. Parsons has also begun to settle into Double-A, as he has struck out 10 batters and not allowed a run over his last four appearances (7.0 innings pitched).

A+: Hudson Valley Renegades (38-37) 6, Brooklyn Cyclones (35-40) 2  Box Score

The Cyclones had just six hits and were 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position during Sunday’s game. Peroza’s solo shot in the fifth inning got the Cyclones on the board, but they were already down by four runs at that point, a deficit that would prove insurmountable. This was only Peroza’s third home run of the season, which is a major drop in power from the previous two seasons; he had hit double-digit home runs in both 2019 and 2021. Most of Palmer’s struggles this season have been due to his ballooning strikeout rate, an issue which has not improved as the season has progressed. His strikeout rate is over 40% for the season, and he struck out 39 times in June alone.

Seymour had mixed results during his Sunday start. On the one hand, he doubled his season total of home runs allowed by giving up two in the fourth inning. On the other hand, he was able to miss bats on a regular basis and came only one strikeout shy of his season-high despite this being his shortest start of the year. Hartwig was uncharacteristically wild, walking two batters in one outing for the first time this season, but he still managed to get out of his inning unscathed.

A: St. Lucie Mets (44-30) 8, Jupiter Hammerheads (38-35) 2  Box Score

  • Alex Ramirez CF: 0-for-3, RBI, 2 BB, 3 K, .284/.359/.443
  • William Lugo 3B: 2-for-2, R, HR, 4 RBI, HBP, .266/.358/.403
  • Tzu-Wei Lin SS: 1-for-3, R, HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB, K, .238/.407/.429

St. Lucie’s offense on Sunday was defined by a plethora of walks and a couple of timely home runs. Regarding the former, the Mets drew nine walks in this game, including a stretch of five straight walks to begin the second inning (the opposing starter threw just 15 of 46 pitches for strikes). Ramirez did not put the ball in play once, but he did draw a walk for the fourth straight game and, in an unexpected turn of events, is fourth in the Florida State League in walks over the last month. Lin continued his rehab stint with St. Lucie by hitting his first home run since May 21.

It was certainly a welcome sight to see deGrom back on a mound after missing nearly a year with several different injuries, and it was even better to see him flashing his usual dominant stuff. He threw 24 pitches and struck out five of the six batters he faced. He primarily relied on his fastball (averaged 99.4 MPH, topped out at 100.9 MPH, and had a 2440 RPM average spin rate), but also mixed in his slider (averaged 93.8 MPH and had a 2557 RPM average spin rate) and one changeup. All velocities and spin rates were right in line with his averages from a year ago. He had a ridiculous 75% whiff rate on all of his pitches. Hamel piggybacked deGrom and mostly picked up where he left off, albeit with much less velocity. Hamel averaged 92.6 MPH on his fastball and had a 38% whiff rate on all his pitches. He has been outstanding over his last four appearances, giving up just five runs over 21 1/3 innings pitched. Gomez is typically the hardest throwing pitcher on the St. Lucie staff, but his 97 MPH fastball (topped out at 98.8 MPH) would have to settle for second-best on Sunday.