PHILADELPHIA — The good news: Jacob deGrom is scheduled to throw a simulated game for the Mets in Florida on Tuesday and could return to the rotation this weekend.
Now the REALLY good news: deGrom’s newborn son, Jaxon Anthony, who has been dealing with an undisclosed medical issue since his birth eight days ago, was discharged from the hospital and went home Monday.
“They took the baby home today. He’s going to throw his simulated game [Tuesday] and then we’ll take a look where he’s at,” manager Terry Collins said before the Mets opened their series with the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Monday.
Collins admitted “it’s a possibility” deGrom could pitch against the Braves in Atlanta over the weekend.
“It all depends what he gets out of [Tuesday’s] session,” Collins said. “If he gets his pitch count up to where he can be respectable to start whenever we think he can and to where he can get deep instead of just looking at four innings or five innings,” Collins said. “We’d like to get him into pitch-count situations where he can get us into the sixth.”
DeGrom has been dealing with tightness in his right-side lat muscle and has not pitched since April 8.
And there is more good news for the Mets on the deGrom front: Logan Verrett will get another start in his place. The 25-year-old righty filled in more than admirably Wednesday with six shutout innings. He is scheduled to start Tuesday against the Phils and Vince Velasquez, who struck out nine Mets 10 days ago and then fanned 16 against the Padres.
Verrett is accustomed to filling in as needed. Last year in Colorado, Verrett pitched eight shutout innings while subbing in a pinch for Matt Harvey.
“Preparation is the same,” said Verrett, who began the season in the bullpen and now enjoys the luxury of knowing when he’ll pitch again — at least until the latest fire is put out and the emergency of the day handled. “Try to get a bullpen [session] in if I can. Then just start doing my homework, scouting opposing hitters and I’m ready to go coming up with the game plan.”
Collins frequently has referenced the job Verrett turned in last August on the road against the Rockies.
“It’s a nice pat on the back,” said Verrett, who since joining the Mets in May 2015, has pitched in 16 games, starting five and forging a 2.76 ERA. “And you’ve got to move on from it. Even last week’s start against Miami, you’ve got to move on from it because tomorrow when I take the ball, it’s a new team, it’s a new day, it’s a new lineup, it’s a new park. You’ve got to work your plan and try to execute.”
And Verrett already has proven himself capable. That is something for which Collins is very grateful.
“Every team looks for a guy like that when they need a start due to an injury or due to a sickness or anything else, they can step up and you have enough confidence they’ll get you deep into the game,” Collins said. “And it seems like every time we need him to step up he does.”
Like against the Marlins. Verrett gave up only three hits and struck out six in the Mets’ eventual 2-1 win.
“It was great, fantastic,” Verrett said of the reward from his first 2016 start. “It was what we planned for going in and we executed it well and the defense was phenomenal behind me. That was [Wilmer] Flores’ first game at first base and he made two outstanding plays that helped me get deeper into the ball game.”
And getting deeper into the game always is good news for the Mets, whether it’s deGrom or Verrett on the mound.
