The Mets have been dealing with injuries to their rotation all season, but the most impactful one occurred before the year began. One of the preeminent pitchers in baseball, Jacob deGrom, has been shelved since spring training because of a stress reaction in his scapula. His return now appears to be rapidly approaching.
DeGrom made his third rehab outing Thursday. He allowed one run (unearned), two hits and a walk and struck out four in four innings for Triple-A Syracuse. The New York Post's Mike Puma reported that the Mets will have deGrom throw a camp game at their Florida complex next week during the All-Star break, with a possible return to the majors on July 24 or July 26.
While July 24 against the Padres would be a good challenge for deGrom, the July 26 date is enticing. It marks the beginning of the first Subway Series of the season, with Yankees visiting Citi Field.
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DeGrom's 2022 debut could well be against the team with the best record in baseball.
What are Jacob deGrom's numbers vs. the Yankees?
DeGrom has faced the Yankees more than any American league team (six games, all starts). He has allowed 34 hits, 11 walks, and 18 runs to go with 40 strikeouts over 41 innings and 163 plate appearances against. The Mets are 2-4 in those games, with deGrom logging decisions in all of them. He made his MLB debut against the Yankees in 2014; a 2022 debut against them would represent a full-circle moment.
The Yankees are 62-27 on the season, fueled by outstanding pitching. While there are deficiencies in the lineup, the middle of the batting order has caused issues for opposing pitchers all season. The Nos. 2-5 spots in the order all had an OPS over .830 through July 13; the best OPS for spots Nos. 6-9 was .761.
What are Jacob deGrom's numbers vs. Aaron Judge?
The matchup everyone would tune in to see, of course, is deGrom vs. Judge. While Judge has cooled off in July after a scorching start to the season, he's still one of the most feared hitters in baseball in 2022.
DeGrom and Judge have faced off eight times, four in 2017 and four in 2018. They've been evenly matched, with deGrom striking Judge out twice and Judge walking twice. Judge also has a double and an RBI (which came on a sacrifice fly).
