It has been a difficult season for New York Rangers ace Jacob deGrom, as the star pitcher has been forced to undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery. The surgery, which is a common procedure for pitchers, is designed to repair a damaged elbow ligament and is expected to keep deGrom out of action for the remainder of the season.
DeGrom, who had been one of the most dominant pitchers in the league this season, had been dealing with elbow discomfort for some time. He had been receiving treatment for the injury, but it was determined that surgery was the best course of action. The procedure will be performed by Dr. James Andrews, a renowned orthopedic surgeon who specializes in sports medicine.
The loss of deGrom is a major blow to the Rangers, as he had been a key part of their success this season. He was 9-9 with a 3.04 ERA and had struck out a career-high 239 batters in just 175 innings. He was also named to his third All-Star team this year and was in the running for the Cy Young Award.
It is unclear how long deGrom will be out for, but it is expected that he will miss at least a full year of action. This means that he will likely not be ready to return until sometime in 2021. It is also possible that he could miss even more time depending on how his recovery progresses.
The Rangers have yet to announce who will replace deGrom in the rotation, but it is likely that they will look to fill the void with an internal option such as Corey Kluber or Mike Minor. They could also look to add a free agent or make a trade to acquire another starting pitcher.
In any case, the loss of deGrom is a significant setback for the Rangers and their playoff hopes this season. It remains to be seen how they will respond to this adversity, but one thing is certain: they will miss their ace pitcher and his contributions to the team.
