Texas’ golden arm needs a nap: Fatigue beats deGrom
It seems that even superheroes, or in this case, baseball pitchers who get paid as if they were superheroes, need a day of rest. Jacob deGrom, the man whose right arm is probably insured for more than the cost of your house, has gone on strike. Well, not exactly on strike, but his shoulder decided he’d had enough for this week. The news that he will not start the scheduled game against the Kansas City Royals this Wednesday came with that classic taste of déjà vu mixed with a touch of anxiety for Texas Rangers fans.
The official diagnosis: shoulder fatigue. It sounds like what your boss tells you on a Monday morning when he doesn’t want to work, but in the world of elite sports, it’s a very real and terrifying condition. However, the club quickly came out to control the panic, assuring everyone that this is just part of managing their workload and that, for now, a trip to the injured list is not expected. Basically, they tell us “calm down, it’s no big deal, he’s just tired of throwing balls at 100 mph.” As if that were something totally normal and relaxing.
The medical history: A reminder that human bodies have limits
To understand why this has everyone in Texas holding their breath, you have to take a look at Jacob’s service record. This is the man who has spent more time in the rehab room than on the mound in recent years. After missing most of the 2022 season with a shoulder stress reaction (a fancy name for “we use this arm too much”), he underwent his second Tommy John surgery. Yes, you read that right, the second one. Because once wasn’t enough of a challenge for his elbow.
His return this season has been, so far, something of a modern sports medicine miracle. He has pitched 140 1/3 innings in 24 starts, compiling a 10-5 record and a 2.76 ERA. To put it in perspective for the uninitiated: those are video game numbers. But it’s also the most innings he’s pitched since 2019, when he was that incredibly durable kid on the New York Mets who would go over 200 innings like it was nothing.
A visit to Dr. Keith Meister, the magician of baseball arms, apparently yielded positive results. Whatever that meant exactly (“Congratulations, your shoulder is officially tired!”), it was enough to make the team breathe a sigh of relief. The current projection is that he could make his next start next week. In other words, he’s just taking a mandatory mini-vacation.
The reality is that the Rangers are walking a tightrope. On the one hand, they have one of the most dominant pitchers of the modern era when healthy. On the other hand, they have a $185 million asset with a scary injury history. Managing your workload is not a suggestion; is an absolute must to have any hope of seeing him on the mound in October. Nobody wants another episode of “The Man with the Glass Arm.”
So, for this week, Kansas City is saved from facing the beast. Rangers fans will cross their fingers, do their good luck rituals, and hope that this break is just a small bump on the road to what everyone hopes will be a legendary season… or at least, one that ends with deGrom still in one piece.
Do you think this conservative management is the right strategy or a risky bet? Share this story with other baseball fans and explore more analysis about the season in our sports section.
