Jacob deGrom meets Mets' expectations in 3rd rehab start
Jacob deGrom pitches for the Syracuse Mets. Credit: NY Mets/Danny Tripodi
CHICAGO — Jacob deGrom got yet closer to a major-league comeback Thursday, cruising through another minor-league rehabilitation outing and more or less hitting his hoped-for thresholds: four innings (of a desired three or four) and 42 pitches (of an anticipated 50 or so).
His next step, according to manager Buck Showalter, will be some sort of scrimmage/simulated game next week, when there are no minor-league games (or major-league games). DeGrom is expected to return by the end of the month.
Pitching for Triple-A Syracuse for the first time — his third rehab start overall — deGrom finished with a lone unearned run allowed, two hits (including a double), four strikeouts and one walk. That came against the Marlins’ affiliate, the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, whose lineup included a bunch of players who have played in the majors this year and/or are noteworthy prospects.
That was a step up in competition from deGrom’s previous two games, when he struck out 11 of 18 batters for Low-A St. Lucie.
DeGrom worked around a two-on, no-out jam in the second inning by getting a double-play grounder and a strikeout. The run scored in the third on a wild pitch.
“I felt a little out of whack the first couple innings, but then tried to make a little bit of an adjustment,” deGrom told reporters in Syracuse. “I wasn’t locating my fastball quite like I wanted to early on, but the last couple innings felt a lot better.”
DeGrom’s catcher was Francisco Alvarez, the Mets’ top prospect — who also caught Max Scherzer during his rehab assignment last month.
Welcome back
New dad Jeff McNeil returned from the paternity list Thursday, getting from California to Chicago — via private jet, courtesy of the Mets — by early that morning and managing a full night of sleep for the first time in several days. He was batting fifth and playing leftfield against the Cubs.
The first game for his son, Lucas? The All-Star Game next week, a downright cheery McNeil said.
“He’s in a different place in his life,” manager Buck Showalter said. “There’s somebody else depending on you to get a couple of hits . . . So just more pressure, I guess. No, but he’s basking in the glow right now.”
Extra bases
The Mets designated outfielder Ender Inciarte for assignment to clear a roster spot for McNeil . . . Trevor May (stress reaction in his right humerus) will face batters Sunday for the first time since going on the injured list in May, Showalter said . . . A question about Wrigley Field’s renovations in recent years turned into Showalter roasting the ballpark: “They still haven’t padded the outfield fence . . . It’s a great place. Sixty-one steps back and forth to the dugout . . . The dugout, you can actually almost see the game now.”
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
