Mets ace Jacob deGrom sidelined with lat inflammation; avoids injured list for now
New York Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom was scratched from his scheduled start against the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday with back tightness.
The injury prompted the Mets to order an MRI, which revealed inflammation in his right lat. The Mets announced that deGrom will take a break from throwing the next few days in hopes of avoiding a trip to the injured list.
Manager Luis Rojas initially announced the scratch hours ahead of the game's scheduled first pitch.
"He let us know earlier today that he had some tightness on his right side," Rojas said. "I saw him before coming to the field and he was stretching, trying to feel his right side a little bit, and that's when we started discussing whether he was going to start or not."
Will injury shelve deGrom's hot start?
The Mets ace is off to a scorching start this season, posting a 0.51 ERA with 59 strikeouts and four walks through 35 innings pitched. The Mets entered play Monday at 11-12, a half-game behind the NL East-leading Washington Nationals.
Reliever Miguel Castro took his place on the mound against St. Louis.
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