All signs are pointing to the New York Mets are getting their ace back this week.
Manager Luis Rojas revealed on Sunday that Jacob deGrom threw a side session and felt “pretty good.” It will keep him on track to return to the Mets on Tuesday against the Colorado Rockies after missing two weeks with a nagging side issue.
“Everything looked good,” Rojas said. “We’ll monitor it for the rest of the day and [Monday] but right now, he looks back on track.”
Elsewhere in the Mets’ rotation, Taijuan Walker was not ready to put a timetable on when he’ll be able to return after he was placed on the injured list Wednesday because of tightness in his left side.
The 28-year-old right-hander was lifted from his start after just three innings on May 17 against the Atlanta Braves before the club made the decision to add his name to an already lengthy list of injured Mets.
“I would like it to be [a quick IL stint],” Walker said on Sunday. “But we can’t really put a timeline on anything especially with a side injury that nags and lingers. Just taking it day-by-day.”
Walker had been one of the Mets’ biggest surprises of the season, creating a formidable top three along with Jacob deGrom and Marcus Stroman. He was 3-1 with a 2.05 ERA in eight starts.
He cited his mechanics as one of the major reasons why the discomfort began as he eases into a full-season workload following recovery from Tommy John surgery in 2018.
“Just my lead leg wasn’t getting open enough,” Walker said. “So it was pinching my side. So we’re trying to clear that up, the left hip.
“I haven’t really messed with anything but when I started feeling it, we just tried to clean it up a little bit. It’ll take more stress off my arm, too.”
Down in the minors, Noah Syndergaard is poised to be promoted to Triple-A Syracuse where he will start six times, going four innings, five innings, and six innings twice each. Rojas expects him to re-join the Mets by late June.
