DE-GONE AGAIN? Triceps Fatigue Ends deGrom's Night in a Flash

ANAHEIM — Just when it looked like the Texas Rangers were getting their rotation steady, the injury bug bites again. Jacob deGrom, the two-time Cy Young winner, was pulled after just two innings Thursday night against the Angels, with the team calling it right triceps fatigue.

The 38-year-old right-hander, already battling a left hip and glute issue since the All-Star break, gutted through a 32-pitch second inning that went sideways. By the time he escaped, Los Angeles had plated two runs and tagged him for five hits in that frame alone.

That's a stat that stings: it's the first time deGrom has allowed five or more hits in a single inning since September 5, 2017 — back when he was a Mets man. He finished the night with six hits allowed, three strikeouts, and a walk over two frames. Not exactly the vintage deGrom stuff we're used to seeing.

Why this one hurts more

It's not just any regular-season start. deGrom is sitting at 1,998 career strikeouts, needing just two more to join an elite club: the ninth active pitcher and 94th in MLB history to hit the 2,000 K mark. Instead of chasing history, he was chasing arm trouble.

The leash was short. Peyton Gray came on to begin the third with the Angels already up 2-0. It's a scene that feels uncomfortably familiar in the Rangers' clubhouse: just days prior, Nathan Eovaldi hit the 15-day IL with inflammation in his pitching elbow.

And if you're keeping score at home, deGrom has now given up a combined 10 earned runs in 10 innings across three starts against the Angels this season. That's not just a blip — that's a problem.

For a team with World Series aspirations, every deGrom start carries a mix of excitement and dread. Thursday night in Anaheim, the dread won early. All eyes will be on the MRI and the next update, because when deGrom's arm talks, Rangers fans hold their breath.