Jacob deGrom exits Angels start with right triceps fatigue

Texas Rangers ace Jacob deGrom left Thursday’s start against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim after two innings because of right triceps fatigue, the club announced, according to MLB.com.

The early exit is an immediate concern for Texas given deGrom’s place at the top of the rotation and his recent injury history. He was charged with two runs on six hits, with one walk and three strikeouts, before departing the series finale at Angel Stadium. DeGrom threw 53 pitches, 35 for strikes.

The second inning was especially taxing. DeGrom allowed five hits in the frame, which MLB.com reported was the most hits he had allowed in a single inning since Sept. 5, 2017. He also threw 32 pitches in the inning, tied for his second-highest total in any inning this season.

Even so, the raw stuff did not appear obviously diminished. MLB.com, citing Statcast, reported that deGrom reached 99 mph and threw all five of his pitches harder than his season average. He also generated 10 whiffs in the abbreviated outing, a sign that his swing-and-miss ability was still present despite the laborious second inning.

That combination — strong velocity and movement alongside an injury-related exit — is likely to draw added attention because of who deGrom is and what Texas has already managed around him. The 38-year-old right-hander is a two-time National League Cy Young Award winner and one of the Rangers’ most important starters when healthy.

His health record is central to the concern. DeGrom underwent right elbow ligament reconstruction, commonly known as Tommy John surgery, in 2023 and missed large portions of the 2023 and 2024 seasons. MLB.com also reported that he had been managing a hip/glute issue earlier this season, one that caused him to skip his final start before the All-Star break.

For the Rangers, any interruption to deGrom’s schedule can ripple through the rest of the rotation. But as of Thursday, there was no further official update in the sourced material beyond the club’s description of the issue as right triceps fatigue.