Mets Pitching Coach Discusses Jacob deGrom Return Timeline

New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom hasn't appeared in the major leagues for over a year now. His highly-anticipated return date could be right around the corner, though. Mets' pitching coach Jeremy Hefner recently weighed in on what deGrom's recovery timeline looks like in the coming weeks.

Jacob deGrom Return Timeline

It was another successful rehab start for deGrom on Friday night as he tossed 4.0 innings of work and allowed just one unearned run. The 34-year-old threw 42 pitches as he continues to get stretched out. A simulated game during the All-star break should push him toward the 60-pitch mark.

Afterwards, Hefner spoke to reporters and simply said deGrom is "getting there." He still has a few typical mechanical things to work on, but he looks like the guy that won back-to-back Cy Young Awards in 2018 & 2019. Having a weapon like that on the mound every five days is a scary thought.

“He’s got the command, his stuff is coming out well and crispness and the offspeed pitches. It’s all there. Now we just have to make sure he’s built up properly.”

- Jeremy Hefner on Jacob deGrom

Jacob deGrom Injury Update

Hefner went on to mention that one or two more rehab starts could be all that is needed before deGrom is ready to return to the Mets roster. Team officials are said to be targeting a July 24 (vs San Diego) or July 26 (vs New York Yankees) return date. That could obviously change at the drop of a hat.

For now, the Mets will rely on a starting rotation that has shined with a 2.55 ERA in the month of July. Max Scherzer, Taijuan Walker and David Peterson all have ERAs sitting under 3.50. It's a main reason why the Mets odds set at +750 to win the World Series, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.