Texas Rangers right hander Jacob deGrom departed early from his team’s Monday night 4-0 victory against the Kansas City Royals after he suffered from right wrist soreness.
DeGrom managed to produce four hitless innings before his exit, striking out five and walking one. He threw 39 of his 58 pitches for strikes. His replacement, Dane Dunning, continued to apply the pressure to shut out the Royals’ batters.
“I felt it a little bit warming up,” deGrom said of his injury. “I thought it was going to loosen up and it actually tightened up a little bit as the game went on. We’re playing it smart. Could I have kept going? Probably. But it was lingering and it got a little bit worse as the game went on. I just want to play it safe. We’ve got a long season ahead of us.”
The Rangers confirmed that the decision to withdraw deGrom from the contest was purely precautionary, with deGrom adding that he does not feel too concerned about his wrist soreness. DeGrom signed a five-year, $185 million contract with the Rangers during the offseason, thereby securing a future in Texas.
