ARLINGTON, Texas — Jacob deGrom will return to the Texas Rangers rotation Thursday night against the Washington Nationals, one week after right triceps fatigue forced him out of a start in Anaheim after 2 innings. DeGrom is also 2 strikeouts away from 2,000 for his career.
Monday’s off day gave Texas some flexibility. DeGrom then threw his bullpen Tuesday afternoon at Globe Life Field before the Rangers decided to wait another day. That put Kumar Rocker on the mound Wednesday instead.
Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said Tuesday that Texas had not settled on a Wednesday starter and would give deGrom at least one more day of rest, per Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News.
“It went well,” Schumaker said of the bullpen session. “I just don’t want to give any false impressions. And then we’ll go from there.”
Thursday’s first pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. CT at Globe Life Field. Left-hander Andrew Alvarez starts for Washington. Alvarez, 27, is 2-4 with a 3.72 ERA, and opponents are hitting .240 against him over 75 innings.
Jacob deGrom Left His Last Start With Triceps Fatigue
DeGrom lasted 2 innings Aug. 13 against the Los Angeles Angels. He allowed 6 hits and 2 earned runs with 1 walk and 3 strikeouts.
Five of those 6 hits came during a 32-pitch second inning. DeGrom finished with 53 pitches, including 35 strikes, before Schumaker kept him out of the third.
DeGrom said the triceps started tightening during the second and never loosened back up.
The scans returned the following day, showing nothing more serious than the triceps fatigue Texas had already reported. No injured-list move was made. The Rangers have kept deGrom day-to-day since.
The triceps has not been deGrom’s only issue this summer. A left hip and glute problem had bothered him since before the All-Star break and kept him from making his final scheduled start of the first half.
Jacob deGrom Closing In On 2,000 Career Strikeouts
DeGrom went into Anaheim needing 5 strikeouts to reach 2,000. He got 3 before the triceps issue ended his night. Two more Thursday would get him there, and it would make him the second-fastest pitcher in MLB history to reach 2,000 by both innings and starts, according to The Associated Press.
DeGrom brings an 8-8 record and 3.95 ERA into Thursday. In 120 2/3 innings, he has 147 strikeouts against 31 walks with a 1.169 WHIP. The 3.95 ERA is the highest of his 13 major league seasons.
DeGrom made 30 starts last season, his highest total since making 32 in both 2018 and 2019 with the New York Mets. Those were his two Cy Young Award seasons. Thursday will be his 24th start this year.
Texas Rangers Continue Working Through Rotation Injuries
Nathan Eovaldi remains on the 15-day injured list with right posterior elbow inflammation. Eovaldi made 22 starts before the elbow issue, going 10-9 with a 4.21 ERA.
Jack Leiter gets his second rehab outing Thursday with Double-A Frisco. He has not pitched in the majors since undergoing ankle surgery in June. His first rehab start lasted 2 2/3 innings and 48 pitches, and this time the Rangers want to stretch him closer to 4 innings and somewhere in the 60-to-65-pitch range.
A bullpen return has come up internally for Leiter and could shorten the rehab process. The bigger need is in the rotation.
“[The ankle] is not moving how it does ideally, but it’s moving in a way that creates a lot of good major league-quality pitches,” Leiter said, per The Dallas Morning News.
Cal Quantrill handled Tuesday’s opener against Washington, with Rocker following Wednesday. Jordan Montgomery has remained available for length out of the bullpen. Texas came into Wednesday 62-64 and still within a game of the Houston Astros for first place in the American League West.
