Jacob deGrom honored to be Mets' Opening Day starter for second straight year

For Jacob deGrom, Opening Day is still Opening Day, even if it takes place in an empty ballpark on a sweltering July afternoon instead of a packed and buzzing one in chilly late March.

So when he takes the mound Friday at Citi Field against the Braves, it will be special — and, he hopes, the start of something special.

“It's an honor,” said deGrom, who is lined up for the second season-opening start of his career, following last year. “It's awesome to be out there for the first game. It's something that means a lot and definitely something that I enjoy doing.

“Everybody is just excited to play baseball and be here. There was a time when we were questioning whether there would be a season. We're just excited. It’s unfortunate that there won't be fans with what all is going on with the pandemic and stuff. But we're hopefully here for an escape for people to watch some sports.”

As for that back tightness from last week? It is “totally in the past,” deGrom said Tuesday after a brief and routine bullpen session. He plans to throw another on Wednesday during the Mets’ final mandatory workout of preseason camp.

After that, the chase for a third consecutive NL Cy Young Award begins. The only pitchers to win three straight are Greg Maddux (1992-95) and Randy Johnson (1999-2002), who each won four in a row.

“It's definitely the goal,” deGrom said. “Team goal is most important to win a World Series. But along the way, you set personal goals as well.”

Ramos returns

Wilson Ramos participated in the Mets’ workout Tuesday, ending his three-day absence for what the Mets described as a personal matter.

Asked if Ramos is dealing with a physical issue, manager Luis Rojas was coy. He also said he wasn’t sure if Ramos will play in the Mets’ scrimmage Wednesday.

“Right now, what we shared is he’s got a personal matter,” Rojas said.

Yo on Yo

Yoenis Cespedes said he has not lobbied the Mets to sign his half-brother, 22-year-old Yoelkis Cespedes, who is an international free agent after defecting from Cuba last year. But he is happy to hype up the outfielder, with whom he worked out regularly during baseball’s pandemic hiatus.

“The way that he looks right now, at this age, I didn’t look half as good when I was that age,” Cespedes said through an interpreter. “I think that he’s prepared to play right now.”

Scrimmage scribblings

Dominic Smith, continuing his strong camp, walloped a homer to center off Stephen Gonsalves in the Mets’ intrasquad game Tuesday.

He figures to get at-bats at some combination of first base, leftfield and DH. With other players at those spots, it will be a balancing act for Rojas.

“His bat right now is hot,” Rojas said. “We like it and we want to maintain it, so we’ll think ahead on which days we can definitely get him in there.”

Edwin Diaz struck out all three of his batters.

Erasmo Ramirez pitched two innings on four days' rest, suggesting that the Mets are considering him as a reliever. He had been training as a starter, but the team doesn’t have any open rotation spots.

Jake Marisnick (left hamstring tightness) singled and played four innings in leftfield.

Extra bases

Jeurys Familia has added a curveball to his repertoire, a pitch he hasn’t thrown since he was a rookie in 2014, according to pitch-tracking data. “A lot of things are clicking for him,” Rojas said … Rojas said he isn’t ready to reveal the rotation after deGrom … Among the fan cardboard cutouts near the Mets’ dugout: general manager Brodie Van Wagenen and his family.