Jacob deGrom injury update: Manager Bruce Bochy shares promising news on Rangers ace's return after Tommy John surgery
Though they are 12 games under .500 and 11 games back of the division lead, the Texas Rangers could be aided by Jacob deGrom's return sooner rather than later. The ace has been out of action since the beginning of last season when he had to undergo Tommy John surgery, but manager Bruce Bochy finally has a positive update.
Via ESPN, Bochy said that after some live batters, deGrom seems ready to take the next and biggest step in his rehab:
"It looks like Jacob's ready to go. We'll see how he comes out of this. He'll be starting rehab here soon."
DeGrom said:
"My arm feels great except now it's just been, what, how many months? Fourteen? You've got your [teammates] in there. You go face other guys, and I think that'll help a little bit."
Bochy added that it's frustrating for deGrom to miss so much time since he's an athlete and a pitcher:
"He's a pitcher. He wants to compete. I think it means a lot to him as he goes into the offseason."
The hope for deGrom and the team is that he can get out and pitch for a while without more injury concerns and head into a normal offseason for the first time in a while.
DeGrom signed with the Rangers for five years in 2023 but has only pitched a little over 30 innings for them thanks to his elbow surgery.
Rangers slowly getting arms back with Jacob deGrom on the way
As mentioned, the Texas Rangers have dug themselves quite a hole to climb out of if they're to repeat as division and World Series champions. They could be boosted by a few pitchers, including Jacob deGrom.
The ace is closer than ever to a return, but Nathan Eovaldi is already back and Jon Gray should be close behind. Those three pitchers are among the best Texas has. DeGrom notwithstanding, they were among the most important players to the 2023 World Series title.
It's been a struggle all year, but better times could be around the corner with pitching reinforcements finally on their way.