Shortly before his start against the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night, Jacob deGrom was scratched by the New York Mets due to tightness in his right side.
The two-time NL Cy Young Award winner began feeling discomfort in the area a few days ago, prompting the Mets to use reliever Miguel Castro as an opener on Tuesday night out an abundance of caution.
He was scheduled to undergo an MRI on Tuesday afternoon before the Mets decided on making a roster move, according to manager Luis Rojas.
Rojas also suggested that Jordan Yamamoto — who was supposed to start Opening Day for the Mets’ triple-A affiliate in Syracuse — would be called upon to provide support if needed.
The injury throws an unexpected wrench in deGrom’s exceptional start to the 2021 season. The 32-year-old righty posted a 0.51 ERA while striking out an MLB-record-tying 59 batters.
