3 recent examples of the Mets' medical staff catching injury red flags

There are few injuries that have rocked the baseball world more than former New York Met Jacob deGrom needing a second Tommy John surgery. The news broke on Tuesday afternoon, leading to a teary-eyed press conference from Jake and a wide variety of reactions on social media.

The Mets obviously wanted deGrom back and were involved in free agent negotiations until the Rangers went way beyond where the Mets were comfortable in both years and money. They know deGrom’s injury history better than anyone, and it got to the point where the risk wasn’t worth the reward. This isn’t the first or only time they’ve done that recently.

Example #1 of the NY Mets medical staff catching injury red flags: Jacob deGrom

I’ve already discussed the first one, former ace Jacob deGrom. He was pulled from a start in April with wrist soreness, which led to him being put on the injured list with elbow inflammation, and then resulted in the Tommy John announcement. This will be the second time the righty has had this surgery.

This is all too familiar for Mets fans. They’ve seen him leave starts early and get put on the IL for various wrist, elbow, and shoulder injuries in 2021 and 2022. This included forearm strain that ended his historic first half of 2021, and a stress reaction that caused him to miss most of 2022. 

I feel bad for Jake, but at the same time, I’m relieved that the Mets’ medical staff told the front office to make conservative extension offers. They say everything is bigger in Texas, and now that includes deGrom’s injuries. We likely won’t see him in a Major League game until 2025, and his Hall of Fame case is all but closed.