Jacob deGrom Injury: Why is the new Texas Rangers star pitcher, not throwing today?

Fans of the Texas Rangers may already be concerned with their new superstar pitcher Jacob deGrom. The 34-year-old, who has struggled with his health in recent seasons, will have his Rangers debut delayed as he has reportedly experienced tightness in his left side.

Being that camp has just started, as well as the cold weather, deGrom and his new club elected to err on the side of caution. The team announced that the move was simply precautionary, stating that he would play through it if it were the regular season.

"Per Rangers’ GM Chris Young, Jacob deGrom felt tightness in his left side in his bullpen session a couple days ago. With the cold weather in Arizona and the field conditions, Texas is holding him back a day or two. CY said it’s just precautionary." - kennedi landry

While the team claims it was merely a precautionary move, this will not ease the minds of fans, who have been skeptical of their new pitcher remaining healthy for the entire season.

Last season with the New York Mets, Jacob deGrom began the year on the injured list after a stress reaction on his right scapula. His time on the IL lasted longer than originally expected as he experienced multiple setbacks throughout the year, eventually making his debut on Aug. 2.

Texas Rangers GM Chris Young said that the move was not done specifically for deGrom, but the team would have done the same with any other player:

"I don't think it's specific to him. We do the same with any pitcher or any player that comes in. If this were a little hamstring tightness today on anybody else, we would treat it the same way. It's cold, it's wet. He's been throwing -- it's been great."

"It Literally Took 54 Minutes Before Jacob deGrom Had To Be Shutdown Due To Tightness In His Left Side" - Barstool Sports

A look at Jacob deGrom's MLB resume

Over the course of his nine seasons in the MLB, deGrom has been one of the most difficult pitchers to face. He currently holds a career ERA of 2.52, while also racking up 1,607 strikeouts during his time with the New York Mets.

He has won the National Cy Young award twice (2018 and 2019), has been selected to the All-Star Team four times, and has twice led the National League in strikeouts. During his two Cy Young-winning seasons, deGrom dominated the voting compared to Max Scherzer (2018) and Hyun-Jin Ryu (2019), who both finished second respectively.

The only issue for deGrom has been health, as he has not started in 15 or more games since 2019. If he is healthy and in his best form, he is next to impossible to hit against.