UPDATE: deGrom will attempt a bullpen session on Friday, and if all goes well he will start against the Phillies on Tuesday.
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The New York Mets will be without Jacob deGrom today when they host the Miami Marlins, as the right-hander is dealing with a lat injury and is with his wife following the birth of his first son. The lat injury could force him to make a trip to the disabled list, but the Mets are well armed if they have to make such a move.
If that's the case, be prepared to see a lot more of Logan Verrett and Rafael Montero.
DeGrom left his 2016 debut start early last week because of tightness in his lat, and the Mets are bracing for a bit of a longer absence, writes Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. The good news is that the Mets can place him on the DL retroactive to April 9, which means that he would miss only two starts (although the Mets hope that he only misses one).
Manager Terry Collins said the team is "trying to stay away" from putting the right-hander on the DL.
Regardless, the team has enough pitching depth to cope with such a short-term loss. Verrett, who is starting in place of deGrom today, and Montero, who was called up on Tuesday as deGrom's potential DL stint grows nearer, will be two important figures to watch during deGrom's absence.
Verrett appeared in 14 games (four of which were starts) with the Mets last season and registered a 3.03 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 36 strikeouts in 38-2/3 innings. The 25-year-old made some spot starts for the club in 2015 when Collins was focusing on resting the regular starters to better prepare for the postseason. The right-hander will make his first 2016 start today against the Miami Marlins after allowing one earned run on three hits and a walk over five innings against them last year.
Montero, 25, also made a start against the Marlins last year and was impressive before a shoulder injury affected his overall campaign. He didn't get the win after allowing three earned runs on five hits and a walk, but he struck out six in his only start with the Mets. He pitched in only seven minor league games and five MLB games due to his shoulder injury, but he's had a successful career in the minors (2.71 ERA in 90 games), which the team hopes can translate to the bigs.
While neither right-hander is of deGrom's caliber, both can provide relief in the meantime if he were to miss a couple of starts. We'll see how Verrett does in his place this afternoon.