Jacob

deGrom

The procedural move opens up a spot on Texas’ 40-man roster to finalize a one-year pact with Michael Lorenzen. The expectation is that deGrom will be an option for the Rangers at some point around midseason as he continues his rehabilitation from last year’s Tommy John surgery.

The Rangers’ erstwhile ace underwent Tommy John surgery in June and was scheduled to start throwing in the spring, so he appears to be a bit ahead of schedule. There is a long way to go in his recovery process, but deGrom said he will throw again on Wednesday as he continues his progression. The Rangers are not going to rush him back, and the veteran has certainly experienced some setbacks before, but, for now, this is good news.

It’s still going to be awhile before deGrom is ready to return to Texas’ starting rotation mix after undergoing Tommy John surgery last June, but it’s an encouraging sign that he’s on track to begin throwing in a few weeks. The 35-year-old veteran righty might be ready to make his season debut at some point in the late stages of the 2024 campaign, barring any setbacks.

The star 35-year-old right-hander was forced to undergo Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery in early June after posting a 2.67 ERA, 0.76 WHIP and a stellar 45/4 K/BB ratio over 30 1/3 innings in his first six starts with the Rangers. The Rangers are hopeful that deGrom will be able to return at some point in August of 2024.

He should be back working off a mound in spring training, though games will still be quite a while away at that point. “My arm feels pretty close to normal already,” deGrom told Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

The 34-year-old right-hander will miss the remainder of the 2023 season and at least the first few months of the 2024 season while recovering from the procedure. He has already come back from the procedure stronger and better than ever once, and if there’s anyone who can do it again it’s certainly deGrom. He finished his first season with the Rangers posting a 2.67 ERA, 0.76 WHIP and a 45/4 K/BB ratio over 30 1/3 innings in his six starts.

Wow. So much for deGrom turning a corner a couple of weeks ago. He’ll now miss the remainder of the 2023 season -- and the first few months of the 2024 campaign at a minimum while recovering from the procedure. The 34-year-old hurler finishes his first season with the Rangers logging only 30 1/3 innings in six starts. He was outstanding when on the hill -- registering a 2.67 ERA, 0.76 WHIP and a 45/4 K/BB ratio. For baseball’s sake, we all hope that he comes back stronger and better than ever next season. He remains under Rangers’ team control through the 2027.

The 34-year-old right-hander has been shelved since late April due to inflammation in his right elbow, and has currently paused his throwing program while away on paternity leave. This means the soonest he’ll be able to rejoin the Rangers’ rotation will be June 28. Nothing really changed in his prognosis to prompt this move though, it was done simply to free up a spot on the club’s 40-man roster for the return of Spencer Howard from the 60-day IL on Monday.

The expectation here is that deGrom return later this week or early next week to meet with the Rangers and determine the next steps his rehabilitation process. The 34-year-old righty has progressed to throwing bullpen sessions and shouldn’t be too far away from facing hitters in a live batting practice setting. The hope is that he’ll be ready to return sometime in mid-June, but there isn’t an official timetable yet.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy told reporters afterwards that deGrom “felt fine” as he mixed in sliders and changeups for the first time in a throwing session since landing on the injured list back in late April with right elbow inflammation. There isn’t a definitive timetable for his return, but it’s an encouraging sign that he’s making progress, and hasn’t suffered any setbacks.