ARLINGTON, Texas — The Texas Rangers are off to one of their best starts in team history. They are in first place in the American League West division and hold a 3.5-game lead over the Houston Astros; they have the second-best record in baseball (38-20) behind the Tampa Bay Rays, their offense is firing on all cylinders, and their pitching has been off-the-charts good, with starters Nathan Eovaldi and Jon Gray leading the way.
And the most incredible part about the Rangers’ success is that they are doing it without their $185M man, Jacob deGrom, who was just transferred to the 60-day IL and will get another MRI on his injured elbow.
The move to the 60-day is retroactive, so the earliest he can return is June 28. He had been throwing bullpen sessions in an attempt to work his way back from the injury that has kept him out of action since late April.
So, should Rangers fans panic about deGrom’s status? Brice Paterik, host of the Locked On Rangers podcast had Grant Schiller of Baseball Prospectus on Tuesday’s episode to discuss the move and the implications.
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Paterik first joked about the panic scale of Texas Rangers fans and wondered where Schiller would land. He asked, “How worried about this (deGrom’s fluctuating timetable) are you?” To which Schiller answered, “I’m not really worried at all. The team is 38-20, and the pitching staff is doing just fine.” He added, “Second, when you signed him, you knew this was the case. He had a slew of injuries with the Mets and had weird recoveries and timetables. I was very mercurial. You didn’t know what was going to happen or when he was going to come back.”
And while it’s true Texas signed deGrom knowing this could be an issue, it's easy to imagine how much tougher a team the Rangers would be with a healthy deGrom in the rotation along with Gray and Eovaldi, who are pitching to a 2.51 and 2.24 ERA, respectively.
deGrom has posted a 2.67 ERA across 30.1 innings with 45 strikeouts and only four walks this season. Adding that to the rotation would make the Rangers one of, if not the toughest in baseball. They’re already excellent, but deGrom would put them over the top.
Texas Rangers General Manager Chris Young said about deGrom, “I believe he’s the best pitcher in the world when he’s healthy. When he’s on the mound, it’s just captivating. But we want to proceed cautiously and do what’s right by him. That’s the biggest factor in this move. We want to make sure the inflammation is gone. The symptoms have come and gone. He’s had good days and bad. It’s not been linear.”
And that goes back to what Schiller said. deGrom’s recoveries are always like this, so Rangers fans shouldn’t panic. At least not until the MRI results come back.
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