NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 08: Jacob deGrom #48 of the New York Mets in action against the New York Yankees at Citi Field on June 8, 2018 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. The Yankees defeated the Mets 4-1. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
Manager Mickey Callaway says the Mets top starter deGrom is heading back to New York for exam on his “barking” right elbow.
Optimism over the 10-8 start for the New York Mets hit a potentially troubling snag Friday when Mets manager Mickey Callaway said that top starter Jacob deGrom was being sent for an exam on his “barking” right elbow, according to multiple reports.
As the defending National League Cy Young Award winner, deGrom was off to a 2-2 start with a 3.68 ERA in his four starts. His most recently projected start had been pushed back by what the Mets called an illness before Callaway made his announcement. The Mets were scheduled to play at St. Louis this weekend and deGrom was scheduled to start Saturday.
The 31-year-old deGrom was coming off a career year in 2018 in which he had 269 strikeouts in 217 innings to go with a league-leading 1.70 ERA. He was only 10-9 for a Mets team that struggled much of last season to score runs, but was so dominant that he received 29 of 30 first-place votes for the Cy Young.
The Mets entered Friday’s action one game behind Philadelphia (11-7), a half-game in front of Washington (9-8) and one game in front of Atlanta (9-9) in the National League East. DeGrom is obviously considered a lynch pin to any hopes the Mets have of winning a division title after the team made several trades to compete this year.
New York acquired closer Edwin Diaz, second baseman Robinson Cano, catcher Wilson Ramos and third baseman Jed Lowrie this offseason in an effort to push for a playoff spot.