Mets' Jacob deGrom Shut Down for Remainder of 2021 Season with Elbow Injury

New York Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom will miss the remainder of the 2021 season with right elbow inflammation.

The 33-year-old has been out since July 7 with the injury. While there was optimism at several points that he would return, he has suffered several setbacks in his recovery as the Mets flounder out of playoff contention.

When deGrom was in the lineup, he was in the midst of perhaps the greatest pitching season in MLB history. He was 7-2 with a 1.02 ERA and 0.55 WHIP in 15 starts, striking out a jaw-dropping 146 batters in 92 innings. By any measure, he was on pace to put up at least the best pitching season since Bob Gibson in 1961.

The Mets rotation struggled without deGrom to lead the way, with their once-promising season flaming out after the All-Star break. They are 73-82 on the season, 10 games out of first place in the NL East and 13.5 games out of a wild-card spot.

Testing on the four-time All-Star's elbow has shown no structural damage to this point, so he should be ready for the 2022 season. However, this is a situation worth monitoring as few expected him to be out this long when he first went on the injured list.