When will Jacob deGrom return to Rangers rotation this season?

It seemed like Jacob deGrom and the Texas Rangers had dodged a bullet when the two-time Cy Young Award winner came back from last week’s wrist discomfort without missing so much as a start. But this is Jacob deGrom we’re talking about, and apparently the next injury is always around the corner — so of course he was forced to leave Friday’s outing against the New York Yankees in the fourth inning.

deGrom gave up a hit to Willie Calhoun — his first hit allowed of the night — and immediately summoned a trainer out to the mound. After a consultation, the righty was pulled from the game, the baseball world yet again waiting with bated breath to see if another item had been added to the laundry list of injuries that have befallen arguably the most talented pitcher on the planet.

Jacob deGrom injury update

June 6 Update: deGrom is going to undergo Tommy John surgery, which means his 2023 season is done.

May 24 Update: deGrom threw another bullpen this past Monday. It was only 32 pitches but was a step in the right direction for his recovery. His anticipated return is still expected to be in early June.

May 16 update: deGrom was able to throw a “light” bullpen on Tuesday. Texas seems content in taking his rehab process slowly so as not to aggravate his elbow injury further. For now, it is expected that deGrom will be sidelined until early June.

April 30 update: deGrom was added to the 15-day IL on Saturday. He is still experiencing the forearm tightness, but the right elbow inflammation sounds a little more concerning. Luckily in the past, deGrom has dealt with elbow inflammation and has returned quickly, so the Rangers will just be hoping for good news.

The Rangers have provided an initial diagnosis, and it’s not great:

There’s no way to know just how significant this is yet, and the team has obviously yet to issue any sort of timeline or prognosis before imaging results come back. Still, given deGrom’s history — including Tommy John surgery when he was still in the Minors — it’s hard not to fear the worst. The righty was also diagnosed with forearm tightness back in the summer of 2021; that eventually turned into elbow inflammation and ended his season after just 15 starts.

deGrom had allowed just two baserunners and no runs when he was removed, as he looked to improve on an already sparkling 3.02 ERA and league-best 14.15 K/9. That’s the pitcher the Rangers were hoping they were getting when they signed him to a five-year, $185 million deal over the winter. But they were also getting a pitcher who hasn’t cleared the 100-inning mark since 2019, between forearm issues in 2021 and a stress fracture in his shoulder blade last year.

Dane Dunning would be the likely replacement in the rotation were deGrom to miss any significant time.