Dr. David Chao
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New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom was reported to have “considerable healing of the stress reaction on his scapula.” What is missing here is that it is not completely healed and deGrom is not yet allowed to throw. Instead, he is only entering a “loading and strengthening” phase while he awaits another MRI in three weeks.
In February, we opined that deGrom may still have a rocky 2022 season after bowing out on the later part of 2021. He was assigned a low SICscore of 68 (out of 100) indicating more potential trouble. The scapula issue is the latest in a line of injuries that include forearm, elbow, back, neck and Latissimus Dorsi strain and in March we indicated he would likely miss the first couple months of the season.
Four to six weeks after he starts to throw is deGrom’s best-case scenario, which means pitching in the later half of June, at the earliest.
Injuries beget injuries and one needs to find and treat the source. The altered mechanics to compensate for injury has lead to this assortment of compensatory injuries. Ultimately, he may have to have his partial ulnar collateral ligament tear address and that would mean an even more extended absence.
At this point there is no firm return date, and the possibility of this being a lost season exists. Thankfully the rest of the Mets pitchers have filled in well as they sit on top of the NL East.
