Injury-Prone AL Cy Young Contender to Miss Upcoming Start…
The Texas Rangers are already implementing their strategy to manage Jacob deGrom’s workload.
After missing most of the 2024 season due to surgery, the two-time Cy Young Award winner will forgo his next scheduled start, instead pitching in a simulated game at the Rangers’ practice facility in Surprise, Arizona, rather than facing the San Francisco Giants in Cactus League action, per MLB.com’s Kennedi Landry.
Despite his injury history, deGrom remains one of the league’s top pitchers when healthy and is considered a strong contender for the AL Cy Young Award this season. He previously won the award twice during his nine-year tenure with the New York Mets (2014-21).
Over his career, deGrom holds an 84-57 record with a 2.52 ERA across 218 starts with the Mets and Rangers. However, his time in New York was plagued by injuries, leading to six separate stints on the injured list.
In an effort to stay on the mound longer, deGrom told ESPN’s Jeff Passan that he intends to reduce his fastball velocity in 2025.
“I have to look at it like, hey, I can pitch at that velocity [from 2018],” deGrom explained. “It is less stress on your body. You get out there and you’re throwing pitches at 100 miles an hour for however many pitches it is—it’s a lot of stress. It’s something that I’m going to look into—using it when I need it, backing off, and just trusting that I can locate the ball.”
