ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) 鈥� Texas Rangers pitcher Jacob deGrom left Thursday night鈥檚 start against the Los Angeles Angels after two innings because of right triceps fatigue and will undergo an MRI on Friday.
鈥淚鈥檓 not too concerned,鈥� deGrom said following 鈥淚 mean, hopefully I鈥檒l make my next (start). We鈥檒l see. It was tight in the second inning, and it just didn鈥檛 want to loosen up,鈥﹕o I don鈥檛 know, I haven鈥檛 really had this before.鈥�
The 38-year-old right-hander, who has been dealing with a left hip and glute injury since the All-Star break, escaped a two-on, one-out jam in the first but gave up two runs and five hits during a 32-pitch second. He was replaced by right-hander Peyton Gray to begin the third with the Angels leading 2-0.
It was the first time deGrom permitted five hits in an inning since Sept. 5, 2017, with the New York Mets.
鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 going to risk it once I heard (it was) the triceps,鈥� Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said. 鈥淥bviously, you don鈥檛 want to hear anything arm-related. You pull a guy out in the second inning, it鈥檚 concerning. But we鈥檒l figure it out when he gets some imaging. We won鈥檛 know until they get in there.鈥�
This seven-game road trip began with the Rangers placing pitcher Nathan Eovaldi on the 15-day injured list because of elbow inflammation Monday. Texas beat the Angels 4-1 that night but lost the next three games to fall to 60-62 and two games behind first-place Houston in the AL West.
Now, the Rangers might have to navigate the next few weeks without their two best starting pitchers.
鈥淥ur starting pitching has taken a hit, that is reality,鈥� Schumaker said. 鈥淲ith two guys going down, we鈥檒l see what it looks like, but it鈥檚 never easy when you鈥檙e No. 1 and No. 2 guys are down.鈥�
A two-time Cy Young Award winner, deGrom allowed six hits, struck out three and walked one. He needs two strikeouts to become the ninth active pitcher and 94th in major league history to reach 2,000.
In three starts against the Angels this season, deGrom has yielded 10 earned runs in 10 innings.
鈥淚t was very disappointing,鈥� he said of Thursday night’s start. 鈥淚 needed to go out there and give us some length and wasn鈥檛 able to do it. I said I could probably keep going, and they said, 鈥榃ell, we鈥檙e not going to risk this right now,鈥� so we鈥檒l just see how it is tomorrow and I鈥檒l go from there.鈥�
One of baseball鈥檚 best pitchers when healthy, deGrom made at least 31 starts per season and pitched to a 2.53 ERA across 622 1/3 innings from 2017-19 with the Mets.
He won NL Cy Young Awards with New York in 2018 and 2019 and led the National League with 255 strikeouts in 2019 and 104 strikeouts during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
But deGrom made only 35 starts because of injuries from 2021-24 and underwent his second Tommy John surgery in June 2023, which sidelined him for much of his first two seasons with Texas in 2023 and 2024.
___
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
