Rangers' Jacob deGrom Expected to Miss 2-3 More Weeks with Elbow Injury

Texas Rangers ace Jacob deGrom is expected to be sidelined for two-to-three more weeks due to elbow inflammation, manager Bruce Bochy told reporters Thursday.

When asked about what the tentative plan for deGrom is moving forward, Bochy replied:

"After they take a look at it, I can answer a lot better. It feels better with each day, but you've got to go through some tests and evaluate. Once that happens, we can start to ramp up his pitching and hopefully get him on a mound. It's hard to say, but it's going to take a little time, maybe two or three weeks."

DeGrom was pulled from an April 17 start against the Kansas City Royals after four innings with wrist soreness.

The 34-year-old then tossed six innings in a start against the Oakland Athletics on April 23 before being pulled from an April 28 start against the New York Yankees after 3.2 innings with what was described as "forearm tightness."

An MRI later revealed that deGrom did not have any structural damage. However, it did display some inflammation.

The Rangers placed deGrom on the 15-day injured list on April 29. He is eligible to return on Sunday against the A's, but Bochy said the lefthander won't increase his throwing routine until after the team's road trip to Seattle, which begins June 2, and a meeting with doctors.

Texas signed deGrom to a five-year, $185 million deal in free agency this winter after he opted out of his deal with the New York Mets. In six starts this season, he is 2-0 with a 2.67 ERA, 0.758 WHIP and 45 strikeouts in 30.1 innings.

When healthy, deGrom is arguably the best pitcher in MLB, racking up two Cy Young awards, four All-Star selections and an ERA title over his 10-year career.

However, deGrom has missed a significant amount of time over the last several seasons due to injury, including a 13-month absence due to forearm tightness and a shoulder ailment, which contributed to New York's decision to not re-sign him in free agency.

With deGrom sidelined this season, the Rangers have turned to Nathan Eovaldi, Andrew Heaney, Jon Gray and Martín Pérez to hold down the rotation.

Texas currently sits first in the AL West with a 22-14 record, three games above the second-place Los Angeles Angels.