New York Mets right-hander Jacob deGrom left Wednesday's start against the Atlanta Braves after four scoreless innings due to a hyperextended right elbow, the team announced. Reliever Paul Sewald took over in his place.
The right-hander was in the midst of one of his strongest stretches as a pro, having extending his scoreless streak to 18 1/3 innings with Wednesday's abbreviated performance.
It remains to be seen how long deGrom will be on the shelf, though a stint on the disabled list seems likely. Losing him for any period of time would be a serious blow to the Mets' rotation, with the team currently riding high in the NL East.
Following the game, manager Mickey Callaway told reporters including D.J. Short of NBC Sports, that deGrom suffered the injury while swinging the bat in the third inning. He'll undergo an MRI, and results will be available Thursday.
On the bright side, a hyperextension may not be the worst-case scenario for deGrom when it comes to an elbow injury:
Hyperextensions for pitchers are rare, but not necessarily grave. J.J. Putz, then with the Mariners, missed about five weeks with one in 2008. Mets 1B Lucas Duda missed about three weeks with one last year. Of course, every case is different; any timeframe is just speculation.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) May 3, 2018
The 29-year-old has looked like a potential Cy Young candidate in the early going. Through seven starts (including Wednesday), he's 3-0 with a 1.87 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 43 1/3 innings.
