Mets' Jacob deGrom to Go on 10-Day IL After MRI on Right Side Injury

New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom will be placed on the 10-day injured list due to right side tightness, the team announced Monday.  

The Mets said there were no concerning issues found on the MRI, but he will remain out to be safe.

The 32-year-old missed one start with right side tightness earlier this month before leaving Sunday's game early for "precautionary reasons" due to the same issue in his back. 

Regardless of its severity, though, any injury to the three-time All-Star could spell trouble for a Mets team that depends on him to lead the way. He has posted an MLB-leading 0.68 ERA with 65 strikeouts, two home runs and seven walks through six starts. 

Even with his back clearly bothering him against the Arizona Diamondbacks, he still pitched five innings with just one run and one hit allowed before departing.

Such numbers are expected from a player who topped the National League in strikeouts in both the 2019 and 2020 seasons. In 2018, he led MLB with a 1.70 ERA on the way to his first of two Cy Young awards. 

There's no player on the roster who can consistently execute like deGrom, but in the meantime, the Mets will turn to Taijuan Walker, David Peterson and Joey Lucchesi as depth behind a capable Marcus Stroman.