The New York Mets placed right-hander Jacob deGrom on the 10-day injured list on Thursday, in a move that is a formality as he copes with a shoulder injury.
An MRI conducted last week showed he has a stress reaction in his right scapula, and general manager Billy Eppler said then that deGrom could miss two months.
He was the planned Opening Day starter, and with big-ticket free-agent signee Max Scherzer dealing with a hamstring injury, Tylor Megill was set to start for the Mets on Thursday night against the Washington Nationals.
The setback represents another blow for the 33-year-old deGrom, who didn’t pitch after July 7 of last season due to elbow issues. In 15 starts last season, deGrom went 7-2 with a 1.08 ERA, and he struck out 146 batters in 92 innings.
The four-time All-Star won the National League Cy Young Award in both 2018 and 2019. He is 77-53 with a 2.50 ERA in 198 career starts over eight seasons with the Mets.
Meanwhile, Scherzer, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, said Thursday that he passed all of his medical tests for a tight hamstring and will start for the Mets on Friday night against his former team, according to The Athletic.
The 37-year-old right-hander said he wasn’t concerned about his hamstring injury, calling it a “little hiccup.”
Scherzer finished 15-4 last season, with a 2.46 ERA, while pitching for the Nationals and the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was limited in last season’s National League Championship Series for the Dodgers with arm fatigue.
