DeGrom (elbow) has full range of motion back in his pitching arm, he told Joel Sherman of the New York Post on Tuesday.
The goal for deGrom -- who is a little over four months removed from Tommy John surgery -- is to begin a throwing program early on in the new year and progress to mound work sometime during spring training. "My arm feels pretty close to normal already," he said. DeGrom is aiming to rejoin the Rangers' rotation by next August.
Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said that the Tommy John surgery that deGrom (elbow) underwent Monday went well, the Associated Press reports.
Rangers team physician Dr. Keith Meister performed the reconstructive procedure on deGrom's UCL, marking the second time the soon-to-be 35-year-old has had Tommy John surgery after he first required the elbow operation in October 2010. Though no new ligament damage or inflammation was seemingly detected during Monday's surgery, deGrom will still face the typical 12-to-14-month recovery timeline and could struggle to return to elite form, given his advanced age along with the sketchy track record of pitchers who have had two Tommy John procedures. DeGrom likely won't be cleared to start a throwing program before the end of 2023 and probably shouldn't be expected to be ready to rejoin the Texas rotation until midsummer 2024 in a best-case scenario. He'll be heading into the second season of a five-year, $185 million deal in 2024.
