SURPRISE, Ariz. — Texas Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said Sunday that right-handed pitcher Jacob deGrom will make his Cactus League debut in “a few more days.”
The 37-year-old is healthy but will be eased into exhibition games this spring, though on Saturday, he faced hitters in a live bullpen session at the club’s complex. Schumaker said that deGrom’s arm “is in a really good spot.”
“He feels good and he felt good today,” Schumaker said. “Yesterday was backfield, field one, with nobody in the stands, and his velo was there. He wasn’t happy with a couple of his off-speed pitches but that’s a Cy Young award winner talking. I thought it was fine. He looked really good yesterday, but to tell you when he’s going to start, I think we’re still a few days away.”
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He didn’t make his Cactus League debut last season until March 8 — some two weeks after exhibition play started — and only pitched in three spring games before the regular season started as part of a gradual ramp-up. That led to an All-Star berth and deGrom’s first 30-start campaign in seven seasons.
The Rangers have allowed a number of players, including outfielders Brandon Nimmo and Wyatt Langford, to delay their respective Cactus League debuts as part of individual season preparation plans.
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