Jacob deGrom Leaves No-Hitter With Injury

Two things have become pretty certain with Jacob deGrom over the past couple of years: (1) when he pitches, the generational hurler is pretty much unhittable; (2) the 34-year-old is also an injury waiting to happen. 

Monday night's game was a microcosm of all that Jacob deGrom is, as he threw four no-hit innings against the Kansas City Royals... but was removed with an issue in his wrist. 

Jacob deGrom has exited his start after just 58 pitches. He had thrown four no-hit innings pic.twitter.com/1RDDZxO4i7

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 18, 2023

deGrom had thrown just 58 pitches before being pulled with "right wrist soreness". The move was being called "precautionary" by the Texas Rangers. But it's nevertheless troubling to see him have a physical issue once again.  

“I felt it a little bit warming up,” deGrom said. “I thought it was going to loosen up and it actually tightened up a little bit as the game went on.

“We’re playing it smart. Could I have kept going? Probably. But it was lingering and it got a little bit worse as the game went on. I just want to play it safe. We’ve got a long season ahead of us.”

He had struck out five and walked just one, then gave way to two Rangers relievers who completed a one-hitter and a 4-0 victory. 

deGrom signed a 5-year, $185M free agent contract with Texas this past offseason, after spending the first nine years of his career with the New York Mets. The last two seasons there were marred by a litany of injuries, as he managed only 11 starts in 2022 and just 15 in 2021, when he was off to a historically great season with a 1.08 ERA, 0.55 WHIP and a 146:11 K/BB ratio. 

It should be noted that he did start at least 30 games in four of the previous five seasons.

The Rangers are praying that this latest concern is something minor, and that deGrom's belief that he should be able to make his next start is accurate.