Even when he’s healthy, Jacob deGrom can’t seem to shake the stigma around his availability.
The Red Sox weren’t even facing the Texas Rangers when Boston broadcasters Tom Caron and Lou Merloni started to look ahead Sunday to the team’s season-opening road series against Texas.
DeGrom is on track to start the season on the active roster, and the Rangers are hoping he will play a big part in a potential rebound from a rough 2024 season for both the pitcher and the team.
But a healthy deGrom didn’t stop Merloni from taking a cheap shot at the former Mets pitcher.
“A lot of talent on that team, everybody just sort of underperformed,” Merloni said on-air during Boston’s 6-4 win over the Mets in Grapefruit League action.
“The problem is you get them on that opening series while deGrom is healthy. You want to play them in August when he’s on the IL (injured list).”
DeGrom is coming off a 2024 where he had to undergo his second Tommy John surgery and did return late in the season to make three starts to close out the campaign.
He posted a 1.69 ERA spanning 10 2/3 innings, striking out 14 batters.
While deGrom, when healthy, is the Rangers’ ace, Texas manager Bruce Bochy told The Post’s Joel Sherman that the team intends to use him as their fifth starter out of camp to provide extra rest.
That means deGrom will miss Texas’ opening four-game series against the Red Sox and is in line to take the ball March 31 against the Reds in Cincinnati.
DeGrom has made a mere 35 starts over the last four seasons, and just nine for the Rangers since he signed a five-year deal with them prior to their championship 2023 campaign.
He’s 2-0 with a 2.41 ERA and has tossed just 41 innings with the Rangers.
Bochy indicated that everything has been going well with deGrom in camp.
“He’s doing great. He feels good,” Bochy said.
