DeGrom left Tuesday's 7-0 loss to the Atlanta Braves after the top of the fourth inning with a hyperextended right elbow. The belief is that deGrom injured the elbow when he struck out swinging in his own at bat during the bottom of the third inning, as he grimaced in pain.
Still, deGrom returned to pitch the fourth inning, allowing only a Nick Markakis single before running down the tunnel, never be seen from again for the rest of the night.
deGrom's final line: four innings of two-hit baseball, while striking out six. As he has been all season, deGrom was fantastic.
Of course panic is setting it. Social media is on fire, and nobody knows for sure how extensive the injury is.
Already The New York Post is making conclusions, comparing deGrom to Yankees infielder Gleyber Torres, who suffered a hyperextended elbow last season and required season ending Tommy John Surgery soon thereafter. There is no telling how bad the injury is for deGrom. Chances are it will not be as serious as Torres injury, but Mets nation will be on pins and needles until doctors truly diagnose the injury.
The Mets own injury history is not going to make anyone feel any better. deGrom already had Tommy John Surgery in the past. Steven Matz, Matt Harvey and Zach Wheeler have had the surgery and many other ailments over the past couple of seasons, and Noah Syndergaard missed most of 2017 with a lat injury.
If deGrom misses significant time, the Mets are in big trouble -- as if they aren't already having fallen behind a very good Atlanta Braves team for first place in the NL East.
The Mets could insert Matt Harvey into the rotation in the meantime. While Harvey lost his rotation spot due to his poor performances on the mound, he is the only real option at this point.
Harvey is no longer a great pitcher. A guy who showed so much promise in 2013 and 2015 has been relegated to mediocre on a good day. He is 0-2 with a 5.76 ERA this season, and owns a 5.79 ERA over his last three seasons combined. The Mets problem is that outside of Harvey they do not have anyone who can come in and throw serious innings.
If the Mets don't want to go with Harvey they could look to in house candidates like Seth Lugo (1-0, 3.31 ERA) or Robert Gsellman (3-0, 3.94 ERA). While both pitchers have been starters in the past, the problem is Lugo and Gsellman are more valuable to Mickey Callaway out of the bullpen.
On the farm, the Mets could recall Corey Oswalt who they sent back down to Triple-A Las Vegas last week. Oswalt has experience as a starting pitcher having made 83 starts in his minor league career, including three starts this year at Triple-A. Oswalt will likely be the first call-up by Sandy Alderson should deGrom need to miss a couple of starts.
In the meantime, Mets fans will be holding onto their collective seats.
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