Texas Rangers ace Jacob deGrom, 35, will end up on the operating table. The $30 million pitcher’s season is over after six starts.
“DeGrom will undergo elbow ligament reconstruction surgery for a torn right ulnar collateral ligament,” MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball, reported on Sunday.
The previous day (June 6), 스포츠토토 Texas placed him on the 60-day disabled list (IL).
DeGrom was removed from the game on April 29 after throwing 3⅔ scoreless innings against the New York Yankees and placed on the 15-day DL with elbow inflammation the following day. He rehabbed and was ready to return, but didn’t. He ended up on the operating table. It was his second Tommy John surgery in 13 years, the first being in 2010.
He will need at least one to one-and-a-half years of treatment and rehabilitation to recover.
“The MRI showed some damage to his elbow ligaments,” said manager Chris Young, “and while it’s tough for the team and for him, we think it’s the right thing for him.”
DeGrom has been a dominant pitcher in the big leagues. After breaking into the big leagues with the New York Mets in 2014, he went 9-6 with a 2.69 ERA in 22 games that year and won Rookie of the Year honors. In 2018, he went 10-9 with a 1.70 ERA, and in 2019, he went 11-8 with a 2.43 ERA, winning back-to-back Cy Young Awards.
But injuries were too much for him. Injuries to his elbow, shoulder, and other parts of his body have kept him out of many games throughout his career. In 2021, he went 7-2 with a 1.08 ERA in just 15 games, and last year he went 5-4 with a 3.08 ERA in 11 games.
He signed a five-year, $185 million free-agent contract with Texas before this season, hoping to rebound. But after going 2-2 with a 2.67 ERA in six games and 30 1/3 innings this year, he won’t be back on the mound this year.
No one is more upset than DeGrom himself. In an interview, he tearfully said, “It’s not a good thing. It doesn’t feel good to be told you can’t do more of what you love. I wanted to be here and help the team. It’s disappointing,” he said.