Rangers’ Jacob deGrom ‘tosses 20-25 pitches off a mound’ in his first spring-training action

In perhaps the biggest news of spring training, Jacob deGrom finally took the mound for the Texas Rangers on Thursday.

The two-time National League Cy Young Award winner had been battling strain on his left side after signing a five-year, $185 million contract with the club in December.

The Rangers have pinned their postseason hopes on the addition of deGrom, but the 34-year-old battled shoulder problems in 2022, raising questions about his future availability.

On Thursday, deGrom threw 20-25 pitches off the mound, which is a typical workload at the start of spring training.

The Florida native spent the first nine years of his major league career with the Mets, but injuries limited him to 156 1/3 innings in 26 starts over the past two seasons.

In perhaps the biggest news of spring training, Jacob deGrom finally took the mound for the Texas Rangers on Thursday. The two-time National League Cy Young winner had been battling strain on his left side after signing a five-year, $185 million deal with the club in December.

After missing the final three months of the 2021 season with a strained right forearm and a sprained elbow, deGrom was sidelined late in spring training last year due to a stress reaction in his right scapula. He didn’t pitch in the big leagues last season until August, then he became a free agent for the first time.

New Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said Wednesday there were no concerns about deGrom’s delay in taking the mound.

“Well, look at the pitches he made earlier, we decided to back off a bit,” Bochy said. ‘It’s not a concern on our part, especially where we are in spring training here. …he feels great.’

When speaking to reporters last week, deGrom blamed the tightness on his offseason regimen, which included more pitches than in previous years.

“I threw a lot of pitches, more than usual just to be in a good spot,” deGrom said. ‘And then, you know, I got really annoyed with a little thing like this popping up too. But I think the silver lining is how good my arm feels and where my stuff was to throw from the mound at home.’

The Rangers have five weeks before their March 30 home opener against National League champion Philadelphia.

Texas Rangers pitcher Jacob deGrom pitched Sunday (pictured), but hadn’t thrown from a mound until Thursday because of nagging left side pain.

The Rangers, after their sixth straight losing season, began the offseason by acquiring Odorizzi in a trade from Atlanta before retaining All-Star lefty Martin Perez in a $19.65 million qualifying offer.

Then came the signing of deGrom even before baseball’s winter meetings, and the additions of Heaney and Eovaldi to multiyear deals later in December. Duffy, who never pitched for the Los Angeles Dodgers last year while recovering from left elbow surgery, is in camp as a non-roster invitee.

‘It is exciting. I think everyone should be excited. I know I am,’ catcher Jonah Heim said of pitching signings before going to spring training. ‘It’s going to be a great staff. If everyone can stay healthy, we’re going to have a great year.’

That is certainly the key.

“Ultimately, we have goals in mind, in terms of opening day being meaningful. And then obviously hoping these guys are healthy in October as well and finish well,” said general manager Chris Young, a former major league pitcher. “We need to have these guys for the duration of the season and if we’re going to get where we want to go, our hope is to be playing baseball in October.”

The Rangers, coming off their sixth straight losing season, began the offseason by acquiring Jake Odorizzi (pictured) in a trade from Atlanta before retaining All-Star lefty Martin Perez in a $19.65 million qualifying offer.

There were nearly 13 months between major league appearances for deGrom before he went 5-4 with a 3.08 ERA in 11 starts after his 2022 season debut on Aug. 2. the last three months with a strained right forearm and a sprained elbow, then he was suspended late spring training last year due to a stress reaction in his right scapula.

Eovaldi ($34 million, two-year deal with option to buy in 2025) made an AL-high 32 starts for Boston in 2021, and the Texas native went 6-3 with a 3.87 ERA while limiting himself to 20 starts last year due to shoulder problems and leg injuries Heaney ($25 million, two-year contract) went 4-4 with a 3.10 ERA in 16 games for the Dodgers while dealing with a pair of injuries in the shoulder. Odorizzi had a combined 22 starts for Atlanta and Houston in a season interrupted by a leg injury.

Perez, who rejoined Texas at the start of spring training last year, was 12-8 with a 2.89 ERA in 32 starts. Young right-hander Dane Dunning made 29 starts but underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right hip late last season.

Jon Gray landed a $56 million, four-year deal from the Rangers at the same time they signed infielders Corey Seager and Marcus Semien to long-term deals worth a combined $500 million before the lockout that preceded last season. Gray went 7-7 with a 3.96 ERA, but had three seasons on the disabled list.

‘We have a lot of new faces and hopefully the most important thing is to stay healthy all year. That is one of our goals,’ Pérez said.

Nathan Eovaldi (pictured) had an American League-high 32 starts for Boston in 2021, and the Texas native went 6-3 with a 3.87 ERA while being limited to 20 starts last year due to injuries at the shoulder and leg.