The Texas Rangers are protecting their latest investment.
Jacob deGrom suffered some mild left-side discomfort early in training camp, resulting in the two-time Cy Young winner being shut down.
On Sunday, the Rangers were ramping deGrom back up, and the hard-throwing righty tolerated the workout well. As such, he’s expected to resume throwing activities on Monday.
DeGrom watch: Jacob deGrom felt good after his workout today and will continue his throwing program tomorrow.
— Evan Grant (@Evan_P_Grant) February 19, 2023
Injuries have limited deGrom to a combined 26 starts over the past two seasons. Factor in a COVID-19-shortened 2020 campaign, and deGrom hasn’t made more than 15 starts in a year since 2019.
Still, the Rangers inked the four-time All-Star to a five-year, $185 million contract this offseason.
When healthy, deGrom is virtually unhittable, giving up 127 hits over his last 224.1 innings pitched. Moreover, he’s accumulated 14.1 strikeouts per nine innings over the past three seasons.
The signing wasn’t enough to push the Rangers into contention in the AL West. They enter the season with the fourth-longest odds to win the division at +1000, per FanDuel Sportsbook.