The New York Mets’ season is quickly collapsing, as the team has lost eight of their last ten games and is 61-63 overall. Owner Steve Cohen recently, and publicly, complained about the hitters’ lack of production since the second half started. New York held the first place in the NL East until a couple of weeks ago, but the surging Braves took control of it.
Now, the Mets are a whopping seven games behind Atlanta and two games behind the Philadelphia Phillies. The season went south in a hurry for New York, but they are not mathematically dead yet.
One of the main reasons the Mets have been playing poorly is Jacob deGrom’s absence due to injury. The ace has been dealing with right elbow inflammation, and it’s just his latest physical ailment. He also experienced side issues, forearm tightness, and shoulder soreness.
The Mets still want to send him to the mound in 2021
The Mets’ ace was recently placed on the 60-day injured list, but his return this season is still in play, given that it was a procedural move that doesn’t alter his timeline (he is eligible to return in mid-September and probably won’t be ready by then, if at all.)
Additionally, it was reported that DeGrom’s potential return will likely not be contingent on whether the Mets still have a realistic chance to make the playoffs by that time.
“I think we’ll want to get him out there just to see where he’s at,” acting GM Zack Scott told Mike Puma of The New York Post on Aug. 22. The idea is, if the Mets aren’t in playoffs contention by the time deGrom is ready, to remove a potential question mark for his availability in 2022.
He has been shut down with elbow inflammation for a while, and on August 13, the shutdown was extended for two additional weeks after an MRI showed improvement. He will undergo further imaging in late August.