New York Mets right-hander Jacob deGrom left his start against the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday with a hyperextended elbow, according to SNY:
Hyper-extended right elbow, according to the broadcast. https://t.co/XDrf3i8Ilj
— Kristie Ackert (@Ackert_NYDN) May 3, 2018
The broadcast had shown deGrom in clear pain following an at-bat in the third inning. After pitching another inning, he went down into the dugout alongside pitching coach Dave Eiland. Paul Sewald took over for deGrom, who finished the night with six strikeouts in four scoreless innings. Sure enough, deGrom did suffer on the injury on a swing:
Callaway: deGrom injured his elbow swinging and missing in his last at-bat. He’s currently getting an MRI.
— Tim Britton (@TimBritton) May 3, 2018
deGrom entered the night having posted a 2.06 ERA across his first six starts, all the while racking up 39 ⅓ innings and 4.36 strikeouts per walk. It's unclear how much time he'll miss.
Presuming deGrom does go on the disabled list, the Mets could well move Matt Harvey back to the rotation. Alternately, the Mets could turn to one of their minor-league options, be it CHris Flexen, Corey Oswalt, or journeyman Vance Worley. Whomever gets the nod, one thing is for certain: they won't be as good as deGrom.
The Mets entered the night 17-10, stationed a half game up on the Braves in the National League East.
